Turnabout Stopwatch
by Nr36
Summary: Phoenix defends his clients, no matter what the cost. But when Pearl is accused of being a terrorist, can he defend her and others as the world seemingly collapses around him?
1. Rumbling

January 5, 11:00 A.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix sat down on the couch to watch television. He couldn't wait to see re-runs of various shows which he didn't exactly care for. Before he could press the POWER button, Maya raced over to where he was, sat next to him, and ran her fingers through his spiky hair.

She said, "Nick, remember that time that you were on Ellen? That was hilarious!"

Phoenix acknowledged, "Yeah. I recorded that episode. I'll watch it later."

Maya thought, "Nick looks awfully bored. I better tell him something exciting."

She sparked, "Nick, do you want to hear the history of the world, according to me?"

He eyeballed her. Phoenix replied, "Yes. Go ahead."

"And so," she started, "The world started to get interesting around 1200. In those days, there was an ordinary man named Marco Polo. He became hungry one day, and went to China to dine. When he finally came back a long time later, he introduced pasta to Italy. Oh, and not to mention, he also brought back burgers!"

Phoenix sighed, "Sure. That's enough for me, Maya."

He asked, "Maya, where is Pearl?"

She looked at him. "She's in Kurain Village, Nick. We'll get her later today."

January 5, 2:30 P.M. Fey Manor

Maya picked Pearl off of the ground and said hello. Phoenix also had his exchange of words with her.

She included, "Mr. Nick! I need to get something!"

Phoenix asked, "Where?"

Pearl replied, "At the channeling school down the street!"

Maya accepted and nudged, "Nick, come with me and let's wait for her to get her 'thing'."

The lawyer walked with them down the street and sat down. He waited patiently of Pearl to exit. It was about 3 minutes into the wait when Phoenix heard a rupture disk burst.

Gases started venting from some spot inside to school. It sounded like a jet engine. Phoenix braced himself and Maya shook violently. He wondered if it was possible to stop the release.

But it was too late. 12 seconds later, there was a bright flash of light; it was brighter than the sun, and was brighter than anything the two had ever seen. As usual, Phoenix saw and heard the explosion before he felt it.

The blast created a massive fireball, which soon stopped burning and began to rise.

Maya heard a voice say, "This is called a BLEVE; A Boiling Liquid Expanding Vapor Explosion."

Phoenix turned towards her, and they found the the voice was Pearl's.

Maya gasped, "Pearls! You aren't dead!"

The authorities arrived soon put out the resulting fire and asked them, "Who could have done this?"

Phoenix stammered, "Well, not one of us, officer!"

Another one gave Pearl a look. She held a security footage tape and played it back for Phoenix and Maya to watch.

In it, they saw a girl.

Maya soon yelled, "That's Pearly!"

Phoenix grunted, "This is so not looking good. What is even worse is that kids are now tried as adults."

The police aimed assault rifles at Pearl and screamed, "YOU ARE UNDER ARREST! PUT YOUR HANDS UP!"

She cried waterfalls of tears as the police jammed a pair of handcuffs and shackles on her. Phoenix felt very bad for her.

Maya added, "Nick, they're treating her like a criminal!"

As the police shut her in a cruiser, she screamed, "I'm innocent! Let me go this instant! If you don't, Mr. Nick will cut you up in court!"

They drove away, and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of Pearl's faint sobbing.

Maya's eyes became glassy. Phoenix comforted, "Maya, don't cry. I'll prove her innocent! They are a bunch of lazy workers who want to get home and sleep all day!"

She pulled him close.

Phoenix whispered, "Maya, don't forget that I love you."

The two kissed affectionately, and hoped that the trial would run smoothly.


	2. Formerly Known As A Police Officer

January 5, 5:45 P.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 1

Phoenix adjusted his tie. He was highly nervous, as he had his first client of the year. He stared on at the message written on the whiteboard, which said:

State of California vs. Pearl Fey  
Courtroom No. 1  
6:00 P.M.

Suddenly, Maya jumped towards him.

"Nick!", she screamed.

He replied with little enthusiasm, "Maya!"

She grabbed his sleeve. "You've got to keep your guard up! Don't let then take my Pearly away!"

He inquired, "Isn't Pearl Morgan's kid?"

She angrily grumbled, "Morgan is in prison for conspiracy! Remember that _one case_?"

A switch turned on in Phoenix's head. He said, "Of course! I remember now!"

Pearl came up behind the attorney and asked, "What are you going to do, Mr. Nick?"

He slammed his fist against his palm. He continued, "I'll defend you. I'll find the real culprit. That's my job. And that's what I'm going to do!"

There was an announcement over the loudspeaker. It blared, "Mr. Phoenix Wright, would the defense please make their entrance into the courtroom at this time?"

It clicked. Phoenix sweated. He was really nervous. First it was Maya, and now Pearl who had trumped-up charges pressed on them.

January 5, 6:00 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 1

The jury was in the middle of their talking session when the judge banged his gavel.

He said, "Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Pearl Fey."

This was followed by a shrieky, high-pitched voice that exclaimed, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

Phoenix declared, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

The judge started, "Mr. Payne, the court is ready for your opening statement."

He replied, "I find it particularly interesting that a girl that is 7 would detonate a bomb inside of a school. But it is sad that the 'innocent, cute girl' thing is, in fact, a façade. In my mind, there is no doubt that Ms. Pearl Fey committed this heinous crime against humanity."

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel in response. "Mr. Payne! It is quite detailed to describe bombing of a channeling school in the middle of nowhere is a 'heinous crime against humanity."

Suddenly, Maya screamed, "Objection!"

She announced, "Your Honor! Please reconsider using your word choice to describe my hometown, Kurain Village, as being 'in the middle of nowhere'!"

The judge nodded. He continued, "Mr. Wright, do you have any arguments?"

He agreed. "Your Honor," he declared, "Mr. Payne should call the first witness. I do not see his statement as being faulty."

The judge ordered, "Mr. Payne, the prosecution may call its first witness."

He agreed and said, "The prosecution calls Maggey Byrde to the stand."

Phoenix shook. He groaned, "Oh, boy. Maggey might bring me misfortune myself. If her testimony is flawless, I'm screwed."

She mounted the stand. Mr. Payne noted, "Witness! Please give your name and occupation."

She happily screamed, "Name? Resource Officer! Occupation? Maggey Byrde!"

The prosecutor replied, "Hee hee. Hee hee hee hee. The same mistake that Detective Gumshoe made back in 2012."

The judge banged his gavel. "Mr. Payne! It is not polite to ridicule the witness!"

He continued, "Ms. Byrde, how did you become a resource officer, again?"

She jumped, "Detective Gumshoe told the police to re-hire me after I got fired. I was tired of being a waitress anyways. (Not to mention that I had to serve the same customers every day.)"

The judge said, "Ms. Byrde, please give your testimony. Be concise and accurate. Otherwise, you may incur embarrassment during the Cross-Examination."

Maggey smiled and said, "You see, I was patrolling the outside of the school when I saw a young girl in one of the rooms. She was dipping playing cards in a strange solution, and she was disassembling a stopwatch to make a detonator! She was constructing a bomb!"

The judge nodded. "Ah. I see," he added. "Mr. Wright, begin the Cross-Examination."

Phoenix thought, "Now let's see how trustworthy you really are, Maggey."

Maya looked over and said, "Cool! Cross-Examining Maggey Byrde! I'm getting a chill down my spine."

Maggey repeated, "You see, I was patrolling the outside of the school when I saw a young girl in one of the rooms!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

He asked, "Can you give more detail on her?"

She smiled. "Well, she had a strange hairstyle I have never seen before!"

The judge even added his two cents worth. "Ms. Byrde, please add this to your testimony!", he ordered.

"And she had red hair!", Maggey declared.

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

He slammed his hands down on the table. "Ms. Byrde, are you sure that the girl you saw had red hair?"

She sweated, "Of course, Mr. Wright!"

Phoenix argued, "It seems that you are quite confused, as Pearl had brown hair!"

Maggey rocketed off of the stand and sweated some more.

She tried to say, "You see... I thought her hair was red!"

Mr. Payne blurted, "Ob-jeck-shun!"

"Your Honor, this is not important to the case at hand!"

The judge replied, "Objection overruled. I see the flaw in Ms. Byrde's testimony to be of the upmost importance."

Mr. Payne screamed, "And why is that?"

Phoenix pointed his finger at him and screamed, "If Ms. Byrde said that Pearl's hair is red, rather than brown, it may be that she either saw another person in the building, or possibly that she never saw Pearl in the first place."

Maggey blared, "Phoenix! Are you saying that I'm a liar?"

He calmed, "No. Not at all! I'm just saying that if you really saw Pearl, you would have seen that her hair is brown!"

The judge added, "Ms. Byrde, can you please give your testimony again?"

She said, "I was outside the building, and then I saw her there! She was scraping the decals of of playing cards and was dipping them in a strange solution! Then, they were placed into a pipe! She was also disassembling a stopwatch to use as a detonator! And then, she stuffed gunpowder inside! It was all closed up and placed under the natural gas supply line, and she walked away!"

The judge agreed. "Ms. Byrde, it seems that you testimony is flawless. Mr. Wright, you may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix accepted, "Of course!"

And so the examination began. Phoenix soon found the contradiction he was looking for. He screamed, "Objection!"

"Ms. Byrde, isn't it a little strange to stuff gunpowder inside of a tube like that? After all, wasn't the explosive blast from such a device powerful enough to destroy an entire building?"

She jumped and sweated even more. The jury roared in excitement, and the judge banged his gavel multiple times to regain order.

The judge screamed, "Ms. Byrde! You need to keep control over your emotions and prevent your testimony from being changed by your roid rages!"

The officer exploded, "**_ROID RAGES?! _**Are you suggesting that I'm on **ROIDS**, Your Honor?!"

The judge answered, "No! Not at all, Ms. Byrde! I'm just telling you to keep your emotions under wraps until we get out of the courtroom!"

Maggey then sniffed.

Mr. Payne asked, "Are you all right, Ms. Byrde?"

Phoenix added, "Maggey, are you all right?"

She burst into tears, and began to shower the floor with a 1/2 inch coating of saltwater.

She exclaimed, "Mr. Wright! I... I'm in grave danger!"

He asked, "What do you mean by 'grave danger'?"

She sobbed, "They said that if I didn't testify against Pearl... then I would die."

The jury roared. The judge banged his gavel. "Order! Order in the court!", he yelled.

The judge said, "Who is this person?" Maggey returned, "None other than... The Magnesium Samurai!"

Maya screamed, "W-WHAAAAAAAT?"

The judge banged his gavel. "We must collect new information about The Magnesium Samurai before this trial can resume. This trial will reconvene at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow. And with that, court is adjourned!"

January 5, 8:30 P.M. Defendant Lobby No. 1

Maya itched her hair. She was happy that Maggey wasn't going to hurt their case. Phoenix was happy too, for the trial had passed as usual. Pearl began discussing the trial day with the two when the police officers, as normal, came up behind them and waited for the two to deliver their cargo in one piece.

Phoenix handed Pearl over.

He said, "Officers, take good care of her. Give her her own cell."

They agreed and left. Maya's head sunk.

He asked, "Maya, do you need something?"

She sighed, "Not really. I'm fine. Really."

Suddenly, Phoenix saw a single Psyche-Lock appear in front of her.

The attorney asked, "Maya, are you truly okay?"

She said, "Yes."

And she started away. However, Phoenix delayed her departure.

He screamed, "Hold it!"

That got her attention and she raced over to him.

He asked, "Tell me the truth, Maya. I can tell you want something."

She blushed hard and confessed, "I want you."

Phoenix picked her up and said, "Let's go."

January 5, 9:00 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix walked in with Maya. She had a happy look on her face, and followed him into the back room, which was equipped with a bed. She sat on top of the covers as he pulled then back. Phoenix pulled her close to him.

He said, "Maya, I love you."

She blinked and focused her mocha brown eyes towards him.

"I love you too, Nick."

She reached behind her and untied her sash and placed it on the floor.

Phoenix gasped, "Oh, wow. I'm in for it now."

She said, "Nick, join in the fun!"

Maya nudged him and he began to disengage his attorney's uniform. He unlatched the buttons and took off his trousers.

Maya said, "Nick, I'll take it from here."

She let her kimono slip off of her shoulders and expose her collarbone, with it positioned so that her breasts were just barely being masked by the fabric. Phoenix proceeded to caress Maya's forehead, and she smiled. He could tell that she was struggling to keep it on her face.

She then removed it entirely, leaving her there with only her most sensitive parts covered from view.

Maya screamed, "If Mia was outside this room, she would be screaming, 'Maya, what are you doing?' And I would say, 'Nothing!' I bet that she would then say, 'Are you getting up close and personal' with Phoenix again?!'"

Phoenix laughed, and saw Maya was barely keeping herself sane. She laid down on the bed and Phoenix examined her. She was obviously blushing. He felt that Maya, the beautiful maiden that was next to him, was conceived by pure chance from a woman who had been barren for several years.

He felt around for the pendant that held her magatama, and he took it off. She gasped as he relocated his hands so that they clamped down softly on her abdomen.

"Oh, Nick..." Maya cooed. "Ah, yes..."

Phoenix massaged the area softly. She moaned, "Nick... that feels good. Keep doing it."

The attorney massaged faster and moved his hands higher up so that they were just under her chest. She began muttering words that were mixes between his name and random Japanese phrases the she had learned years past.

Phoenix asked, "Are you cold?"

She sighed, "Nick, I am warm and toasty. As long as you are here, you light a fire in my heart."

He continued to caress Maya's abdomen.

She then said, "Nick... my hair..."

He worked for a short period and set her locks free. Her hair looked like a black hole; it was a deep black that could be seen in the semi-darkness of the room.

Phoenix felt Maya tense under him.

She moaned, "Nick... please!"

That was when he lost it. It was almost unfathomable for a girl to beg for him like that. He clawed at her thick hair and buried his head in it, but soon returned to massaging.

She gasped, "Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiick!"

Phoenix also felt euphoric reactions himself. Maya throbbed with the frequency of her heartbeat, and slowly stopped making noises and sighed.

She ran her hands through his spiky hair.

She said, "Nick, you remind me of a hedgehog!"

He sneered, "A hedgehog? I bet it's because of my hair."

Maya smiled. She was plain excited that she was with Phoenix, and he could tell.

The attorney replied, "Maya, shouldn't we get to bed?"

She laughed hard, and beamed her eyes at him, having the "innocent, beautiful maiden" look on her face. It almost reminded Phoenix of Iris, and the way she looked at him most of the time.

Maya finally said, "Sure. Good night, Phoenix Wright."

He rested his head down on Maya's pillow, taking her by surprise.

She gasped, "Nick! Why my pillow?"

He teased, "Why not? I mean, I bet that Mr. Edgeworth does this is Franziska."

She hysterically screamed, "Oh, Nick! You have a great sense of humor!"

Phoenix issued, "No, Maya. I'm serious."

That made her giggle harder. She then anchored herself to him using her hands, and her glassy mocha brown eyes and raven hair faced him.

She said, "All right, Nick. I'll go to bed."

As Maya's head hit the pillow, her eyes closed, and she fell into a deep sleep. Phoenix wrapped his hands around her as well and closed his eyes, effectively ending their pleasureful moment together.


	3. Old Thoughts Don't Fade

January 6, 8:00 A.M. Kurain Village

Phoenix strolled down the streets with Maya at his side. That was when he saw the wreckage of what used to be a channeling school. The siding had been splintered and the paint was falling off. As well, 65% of the structure was completely destroyed.

Maya wondered, "How could Pearly construct an explosive that would decimate a building like that? It's impossible!"

Phoenix added, "Well, it seems like that too. However, I don't think it was Pearl who set up the bomb in the first place."

She asked further, "Who set it up then?"

Phoenix thought, "Who could have wanted to blow up a channeling school? Certainly not a random drive-by kind of person. Who would have wanted to destroy a place where children, er, girls, go?"

Maya suddenly jerked. She gasped, "You know who owns this place?"

Phoenix asked, "Who exactly owns this building?"

Maya replied, "My mother."

Phoenix shivered. He now realized just how close they were to losing the case.

The attorney grumbled, "Well, if it belongs to Misty Fey, then Pearl could have received instructions from Morgan, and..."

Maya screamed, "Aaah! You're right, Nick! She could have blown it up!"

Phoenix noted, "Next stop, Detention Center!"

January 6, 9:00 A.M. Detention Center

Maya sat down and waited, unsure of the condition that Pearl was in. Phoenix also waited patiently.

Soon, Pearl sat down in the chair, and screamed, "Mystic Mayaaaaaaaaaa! I'm innocent! I didn't blow it up!"

Phoenix continued, "Well, Pearls, we have evidence which suggests that you may have done it."

She yelled, "Nooooooooooooo! It can't be!"

The attorney said, "That channeling school belongs to your Aunt Misty. And it seems that your mother may have given you instructions to destroy it 'for the good of the Fey clan', as she puts it."

Pearl screamed, "I didn't do it, Mr. Nick! It was somebody else!"

Phoenix shrugged, "We'll just wait and see."

Pearl sobbed, "You don't believe me, don't you! You want me to go to prison so I can be with her!"

Maya gasped, "No! I never wanted that! We are just curious if your mother has anything to do with the case."

Phoenix said, "Pearl, we need you to write an affidavit for us."

She asked, "What's an aff-uh-dayv-it?"

Maya smiled, "A sworn testimony. When writing, don't make anything up or leave anything out, or you could get in big trouble."

Pearl stammered, "O... okay, Mr. Nick."

She wrote softly and signed the paper with her signature. Phoenix collected it and boomed, "We must get to the District Court! The trial starts in less than an hour!"

January 6, 10:00 A.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 1

The jury chatted for a short time, and the judge banged his gavel.

He said, "Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Pearl Fey."

Mr. Payne shrieked, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

Phoenix added, "The defense is ready, Your Honor!"

The judge gave the bailiff a stern look and asked, "Are there any witnesses who are not currently in this court of law?"

The police officer exchanged words and sat back down in his seat.

The judge said, "Mr. Payne, it seems that you may call a witness, as there is no evidence to be added to the Court Record."

Suddenly, Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Your Honor, before Mr. Payne calls the witness! I have a new piece of evidence! It is an affidavit written by the defendant!"

The judge hastily groaned, "An affidavit written by an 8-year-old? The court accepts it into evidence."

Mr. Payne then announced, "The prosecution calls the defendant's mother, Morgan Fey, to the stand."

There was a silence throughout the courtroom. There was nothing.

The prosecutor repeated, "The prosecution calls Morgan Fey to the stand!"

There was more silence. "The prosecution calls Morgan Fey to the stand!", he repeated again.

Just then, a woman popped up and trotted over to the stand. She got on it and stood there.

Mr. Payne asked, "Ms. Fey, please state your occupation."

She sipped her cup of bitter, hot tea, and softly motioned, "I have no occupation, Mr. Payne. I am currently serving a 6 month prison sentence for conspiracy."

The judge banged his gavel. "Ms. Fey, please give your testimony. But before hand, we will ask you one question; is the testimony you are about to say the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?"

She sighed, "Yes, Your Honor."

Her testimony started. "That morning started like any other. I got up, ate breakfast, and began to do my work for the day. I got a telephone call from Mystic Maya around 12:00 P.M. She told me that Mystic Pearl was in need of a new ball, and she would need $20.00 to purchase one. So I took the amount of money and I mailed it to her in an envelope. And that's it."

The judge nodded. "Oh. I see. The defense may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix said, "Gladly."

She repeated earlier words. "That morning started like any other. I got up, ate breakfast, and began to do my work for the day. I got a telephone call from Mystic Maya around 12:00 P.M. She told me that Mystic Pearl was in need of a new ball, and she would need $20.00 to purchase one!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Ms. Fey, would you call Maya on a normal occasion?"

She snapped, "Their titles are Mystic Maya and Mystic Pearl! But anyways, yes. Mystic Maya is my niece, after all."

Phoenix slammed his hands down on the table. "Ms. Fey, I feel that this is not so. As according to Maya, you are 'a cold, narcissistic, twisted, ignorant woman'! So, can you explain why you would call her?"

She jumped and sweated some. "Well, I..."

Mr. Payne screamed, "Ob-jeck-shun!"

"Mr. Wright, ask better questions than that! This doesn't matter in the case of _State of California vs. Pearl Fey_! It doesn't matter wether the witness has enmity towards her own niece!"

The judge shook his head. "Objection overruled, Mr. Payne. The relationship between the witness and the cousin of the defendant might uncover wether the witness was lying."

The judge also asked, "Ms. Fey, could you please give your testimony again?"

There was a brief silence, and the second testimony of Morgan Fey began. "Well, you see, it may be that I have a stigma towards my sister's descendants, but I still am not jealous, for my own daughter, Pearl, has such good spiritual ability, than why would I try to destroy Maya? After all, I have no reason to kill innocent lives and destroy a channeling school!"

Phoenix grunted to himself, "You have already dug your own grave, Ms. Fey. Prepare to be uncovered!"

The Cross-Examination began. She repeated her whole testimony, and Phoenix soon found the contradictory statement in it. He screamed, "Objection!"

He slammed his hands down on the table. "Stop right there, Ms. Fey! These cover-ups won't stop the force of justice from being served!"

She drank some more tea and asked, "Oh, is that so? Why then, is that true?"

Phoenix directed, "The channeling school that was decimated in the explosion was no ordinary channeling school. You see, it was renowned, for Misty Fey had owned it in the past!"

She launched off the stand and sweated, as if she was completely oblivious to the fact she had just been judge seemed to agree.

"Ms. Fey, you have a final testimony. I will simply not allow any more chances after that."

She started, "Fine, Your Honor."

"Even though that my sister did own that channeling school, I was in prison! Therefore, it proves your argument invalid! I couldn't have committed the crime! That is irrefutable evidence that I am completely innocent, even if Pearl had done it herself!"

The judge nodded. "Oh. So that is what happened. Mr. Wright, Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix agreed. He reviewed the testimony over.

"Even though that my sister did own that channeling school, I was in prison!", she repeated. "Therefore, it proves your argument invalid! I couldn't have committed the crime!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!

He roared, "Ms. Fey, even though you couldn't have committed the crime, you could have taken part in it. You very well could have participated in conspiracy! You could be in part of a plot to destroy Misty Fey's line of descendants, therefore allowing you incumbent inheriting of the Master's position!"

Morgan snapped, "Is that so? Prove it! Prove that I hate my own sister so much that I would want to eliminate her!"

Phoenix rose his left hand. "There is evidence that you are, in fact, attempting to be a Terminator!"

He filed through the Court Record, and yelled, "Take that!"

"According to Pearl's affidavit, she heard you say that you wanted Misty to 'suffer the punishment of Hades' and be 'consumed by the fiery hellstorm that follows'. So, in fact, you wanted to completely annihilate Misty Fey! Proof enough for you?"

She took her cup of tea in her right hand.

She screamed, "IGIARI!" and threw the cup of steaming liquid across the room. There was the crash of china shattering, and all went quiet.

Phoenix looked over, and saw that Maya had taken the blow. Tea coated her hair and face.

She groaned, "Nick, why did she do that to me?"

Phoenix smiled, "Well, maybe she was trying to kill you!" Maya laughed.

Morgan exploded, "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

The whole room went dead quiet again.

"MYSTIC MAYA! IF YOU HURT ME ANY MORE, I'LL INFECT YOU WITH AIDS! I'LL GIVE YOU HERPES! WHATEVER IT TAKES! I'LL DO IT!"

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel three times.

"Order! Order! Order in the court!", he screamed.

He scolded, "Ms. Fey! I call threatening a co-counsel with AIDS and herpes contempt of court! Bailiff! Take this witness away for questioning! She is hostile, so be very careful!"

And then she was gone, almost as soon as she had taken the stand.

And there was silence. The judge banged his gavel.

"We are currently searching for possible witnesses in the case, and we will have a 30 minute recess for the defense to interrogate Ms. Fey about her actions in court today. Court is now in recess!"

He banged his gavel again.


	4. Deception

January 6, 12:13 P.M. District Court, Interrogation Room

Phoenix sat down and focused his attention. He was about to take on Morgan Fey's explanation for her behavior, which caused her to be declared in "contempt of court". Maya also sat down, but she was afraid.

Before the soundproof walls surrounding the glass were removed, she asked, "Nick, I'm afraid that she's gonna come out and kill me."

Phoenix issued, "Don't worry, Maya. There's a layer of 4 inch polycarbonate between us and her. Polycarbonate is used to make bulletproof glass. She can't hurt or kill us."

The walls retracted, and Morgan was sitting there with an angry face, almost seeming to inhale her tea instead of drink it to prevent the two from seeing her doing so.

She asked, "What do you want? Can't you two just MYOB?"

Maya exchanged, "What kind of acronym makes 'MYOB'?"

She screamed, "It stands for 'Mind Your Own Business'! But anyways, what does Mystic Maya have to to me, Phoenix Wrong?"

He struggled, "We are here to ask you a few questions. First of all, why were you so aggravated back in the courtroom? Why did you throw your tea at Maya and cuss her out?"

"Well, I was pretty steamed after you chewed me out, Mr. Wright. It is only natural for a someone to get angry after you are indicted in court."

Phoenix accepted the reason. Maya nodded, "We should get back to the courtroom!"

January 6, 12:43 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 1

The judge banged his gavel.

"Court will now reconvene for the trial of Ms. Pearl Fey," he said. "Mr. Payne, do you have any witnesses to call?"

The reply was, "The prosecution calls Hal Reed, The Magnesium Samurai, to the stand."

Maya stared at the actor as he got onto the stand.

He said,"My name is Hal Reed. I am the actor that plays the Magnesium Samurai."

The judge ordered, "Mr. Reed, I have a rather unusual request. You must testify about the orders you gave Maggey Byrde. I believe that you told her to remain quiet on some details of the case."

Hal shook, "Well, Your Honor, I am not exactly the one who told her that, but I will testify about my job."

The judge agreed, and his testimony started.

"I work for Global Studios, who produces the series. I play the main character, the Magnesium Samurai. There is also another person who I work with. She is my girlfriend, Ima."

The judge accepted the testimony. He said, "Mr. Wright, you may Cross-Examine the witness."

Maya gave him a look.

She said, "Nick! Only do what is necessary! Don't go too far!"

Hal repeated his testimony, and when he talked about Ima, Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Who is this 'Ima' that you speak of?"

He shyly repeated, "Ima is my girlfriend, didn't you hear? She plays the part of my assistant, the Molybdenum Princess."

Phoenix pressed, "I feel as if Ima might have a part in this. Your Honor, I request that Ima be called to testify!"

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Mr. Wright, your suggestion had been sustained."

Hal got off the stand. Mr. Payne directed, "The prosecution calls 'Ima' to the stand."

She got up and moved her hair off of her black hair away from her eyes.

The prosecutor asked, "What is your last name, witness?"

She gave him a soft look straight in the eyes. "Mr. Prosecutor, my last name is 'Yef'."

The judge enforced, "Ms. Yef, could you please tell us a little more about yourself?"

She beamed her eyes at him. "Your Honor, this is my first time in court. I am rather... rather scared..."

A tear formed in her right eye.

The judge smirked, "I'll keep order in this court. If anyone gets too harsh on you, I'll smash them with this here gavel!"

Payne added, "And I'll convict them!"

Ms. Yef smiled, "Thank you, Your Honor."

Maya moaned to Phoenix, "Nick, this girl has quite the façade. She is definitely hiding something."

The judge continued, "Ms. Yef, can you testify about your boyfriend, Hal Reed?"

She said, "I... I'll try." The testimony started.

"I met Hal about two weeks ago. He happened to be in a library, and he stepped up to me. We exchanged words for a while, and he put his hand on my shoulder. He said that he liked me, and I told him that as well. We went out for dinner, and we had a great time! I would do anything to help him!"

The judge was contempt. "Oh. That makes sense."

Maya slipped Phoenix a piece of paper.

"Nick," she said, "If you flip the name 'Ima Yef', you get 'Ami Fey'."

Phoenix shuddered. He could tell that this girl was definitely lying.

"Well Nick, this is sort of like the mystery of Xin Eohp! An inverted name!"

The Cross-Examination started. Phoenix grunted as he scanned the testimony over.

"I met Hal about two weeks ago."

He yelled, "Hold it!"

"Exactly when did you meet him?"

She smiled, "It was December 23 when I met him. And where was I? As I was saying, he said that he liked me, and I told him that as well."

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Isn't it odd to you that you would suddenly have feelings for a man who had approached you out of the blue?"

Ms. Yef giggled, "Well, he is quite a handsome man. I simply couldn't refuse! Later that night, we went out for dinner, and we had a great time!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"What do you mean by 'a great time'?"

Ms. Yef shook her head. "Mr. Wright, Hal was amazing! I felt as if time flew by!"

The judge ordered, "Ms. Yef, add information regarding that to your testimony!"

She later said, "And guess what! He allowed me to participate in _The Magnesium Samurai!_ He even made me have my own series!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Ms. Yef, your story is as holey as swiss cheese! You said that you were allowed to participate in _The Magnesium Samurai_ as The Molybdenum Princess, in addition to having your own series, but Hal testified that you were his assistant, and his assistant only!"

She jumped and sweated heavily.

The judge commented, "It seems so, Ms. Yef. Would you care to give another testimony?"

She beamed, "Yes, Your Honor."

She said, "I heard about the event on the news. I could see the cloud from my house! However, when I heard that a kid had done it, I was shocked!"

The judge nodded. "I see. I have no problems with the testimony. Mr. Wright, you may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix noted, "Sure thing, Your Honor."

She braced herself on the stand and her earlier statements were recited.

"I heard about the event on the news. I could see the cloud from my house!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Ms. Yef, are you sure about that statement? After all, Kurain Village is about 245 miles away."

She smiled, "Well, I was slightly exaggerating. Sorry 'bout that."

The judge groaned, "Ms. Yef, please refrain from blowing up the reality in court!"

"However, when I heard that a kid had done it, I was shocked!"

Phoenix repeated, "Hold it!"

The attorney questioned, "What did this girl look like?"

She laughed, "She was a little tyke, maybe 7 or 8, and had a rather interesting hairstyle. However, I had heard about her before."

The judge ordered, "Please add this to your testimony, witness!"

"She was Misty Fey, the Master of Kurain!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

He withdrew his finger from pointing.

"Ms. Yef, it appears that your testimony is, as it was a short time ago, quite holey."

She asked, "Is there something wrong, Mr. Defense Attorney?"

He slammed his hands on the table.

"Ms. Yef, Misty Fey is no longer Master of Kurain! In fact, Maya, her only living daughter, has taken her place! The girl that you saw was, in reality, the daughter of Morgan Fey, her older sister!" She screamed, "Noooooo!"

The jury roared and the judge banged his gavel. "Order! Order in the court!", he screamed.

"Witness! Please explain!"

Ms. Yef shyly murmured, "Your Honor, I..." she sniffed.

Mr. Payne interrupted, "Ob-jeck-shun!"

He continued, "Your Honor! It is not necessary for the witness to explain why she was confused!"

Phoenix returned, "Objection!"

"Mr. Payne, the witness is not who you think she is! Her real name is not Ima Yef at all! In fact, there is a piece of evidence in the court record that can prove my point!"

Maya gasped, "Nick! I hope this actually gets us somewhere!"

"Ima Yef's real name is..." he started.

"Take that!"

"Ms. Yef, I know your real name. It is you! We meet again, Dahlia Hawthorne!"

She snapped, "Watch it! How dare you accuse me like that! How exactly do you know this? After all, Dahlia Hawthorne is dead! She was executed!"

He snapped, "It seems that you can't tell skepticism from the facts, Dollie. Look in the mirror. That hair... it proves that you are her! Even though you are dead, you are being **channeled** by someone!"

The judge banged his gavel. He screamed, "Ms. Hawthorne! Explain yourself!"

She screamed, "Oh, I don't exactly need to, Your Honor.."

she smirked and gave Phoenix an evil look. "After all, as I said before, you can't punish a dead person for their crimes! That means I'm innocent! Right, Feenie?"

Phoenix cringed. To him, for someone besides Iris to refer to him as 'Feenie' was almost gut wrenching. He hated it when someone would taunt him like that. He took another gaze at his former college girlfriend, who was now deceased and talking him posthumously for the second time. She had a blue, fiery tinge surrounding her.

He yelled, "Wait a minute! Can you give us testimony?"

The looks he received were ferocious. The demoness gasped, "There is no need for me to testify! After all, aren't I just some spirit channeled from the depths of Hell?"

The judge screamed, "Ms. Hawthorne! You are not helping this court of law! Get out of her!"

Phoenix sweated, "Get out of her? He doesn't even know who 'her' is!"

Dahlia exclaimed, "Noooooooooooo! I'll get you someday, attorney boy!"

She grunted and left the body she was in, and began to rise above the witness stand where she was standing just seconds ago. There was a bright flash of light, and her spirit collapsed on itself to form a blue magatama, which was surrounded by a fiery, blue tinge, which was followed by another blast of light and an explosive noise.

Her spirit finally left the room, and the lights came back on. Phoenix looked towards the stand, and saw that Iris was standing there.

"Feenie...", she moaned, "help me... please!"

She then became unconscious, and lied there in the floor. The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel three times.

"Order! Order in the court, I say!"

He asked, "Mr. Payne, do you still believe that the defendant is at fault?"

He struggled, "Of... of course, Your Honor!"

He looked towards the defense. "Mr. Wright, are you still convinced that Ms. Pearl Fey is innocent?"

He replied, "Yes, Your Honor."

The judge raised his gavel. "Court will be back in session at 6:00 P.M."

He banged the gavel against the desk. "And with that, court is adjourned!"

January 6, 2:00 P.M. Defendant Lobby No. 1

Maya carried Iris and laid her body down on the bench. After about 35 seconds, she awoke.

"Sister Iris!", Maya screamed, almost hysterical that she was not dead.

"Mystic Maya!", she returned, equally as happy.

Phoenix asked, "Iris, why did you channel Dahlia's spirit when it obviously shouldn't?"

"Well, Feenie... I wanted to get a boyfriend, since you like Mystic Maya... so I created a fake name for myself and told everybody that I was taking a week off, and they granted that, for there were no people training. And that's how I met Hal."

Phoenix screamed, "That still doesn't answer my question! Why did you channel her?"

"I was being **blackmailed**. I decided to protect myself my channeling Dahlia's spirit. After all, when I was 2 or so, she knocked me out with a punch to the face."

Maya's eyes opened. "B-Blackmailed? By who?"

She returned, "By an anonymous person. He never gave me his identity, but he demanded that if I didn't give him $100,000 by two weeks from now, then I would die!"

Maya gasped, "W-WHAAAAT?! Die?!"

Iris replied, "Yes. Die."

Phoenix groaned, "Looks like we'll need to investigate this, Maya."

She answered, "Yes. It is so."


	5. Perjury

January 6, 3:30 P.M. Detention Center

Phoenix sat down on the seat, and waited for the guards to come out of questioning. He figured that they would have a difficult time convincing such a young person to give them a confession, let alone other information. Soon enough, Pearl was forced into the chair, and she looked dazed.

Maya was right alongside the attorney. She asked, "Pearl, what were they doing to you in there? It sounded like they were coercing you or something."

She shook her head. "They were asking me rather strange questions, Mystic Maya. They were asking me if I had any friends who had plans to do it and stuff like that."

Phoenix's head suddenly crafted an idea. "Pearl, were there any notable people at that channeling school you were particularly fond of?"

She said, "There was this one friend I have; her name is Rachel."

Maya jumped, "Rachel? Who would name their kid that?"

Phoenix calmed, "Maya, calm down. We just need to get this Rachel on the witness stand. However! We still need to identify the man that blackmailed Iris."

January 6, 3:35 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix filed through the old cabinets of information, hoping to catch leads. Maya, on the other hand, was watching the news to attempt to find new information.

Phoenix thought, "I remember when Mia was sitting at this desk. She would often say to me, 'Phoenix, to be the attorney that I am, you need to focus harder than the average simpleton.'"

He still felt a slight bit of sadness now and then for his late mentor, sometimes dreaming what might have happened if he had saved her. Phoenix felt terrible when she came to his head, almost as if it was his fault that Mia died.

"Then again," he concluded, "Mia is still my mentor... just posthumously. If only she could help me..."

Just then, he felt a tap on the shoulder.

He heard a voice say, "Don't give up, Phoenix!"

He turned around, and saw that Mia was being channeled by Maya. He screamed, "Mia! Finally! It's you!"

He hugged her and felt a tear drip out if his eye. She comforted, "Phoenix... don't cry. It's OK. I'm here for you."

He sniffed, "Thank you, Mia. I'm just so glad that I met you."

She questioned, "Phoenix, are you trying to say that you love me?"

"Not exactly. I'm happy that you became a lawyer. You allowed me to save Maya's life. Thank you."

She smiled, "Well, I'm sure glad that you love Maya. It just sounds... strange. I thought that... you sorta liked me."

He grasped Mia tight. "I can't lose Maya! I can't! How do I save her?"

She replied, "Phoenix, don't become hysterical. I mean, Godot might love Maya, but that's because he loved me, and she is the only person he has left. She won't be murdered... I promise."

Phoenix suddenly snapped out of his desperate trance and started, "Is there anyone you can think of that would blackmail somebody besides Redd White? After all, he's dead."

She thought and laid some papers down on the table. "Look at these," she said. "This might have your answer."

He exclaimed, "Godot? Why would he have any info?"

Mia snapped, "His name is Diego Armando! Don't call him 'Godot' from now on!"

January 6, 3:45 P.M. Detention Center

Phoenix entered the room, and the door was closed behind him. Mia sat directly next to him, and was happy. She was finally going to see him, the Diego Armando that she knew before his poisoning. The shades were removed from the glass. The former attorney smiled.

"Mr. Wright, it seems that you have returned to this here cell once more."

He said, "Yes. It is so. I mean, I bet it is quite difficult to stay in a cell."

Mr. Armando replied, "Sure thing. They are keeping me in here until they decide what to do with me, and they will probably execute me."

Mia gasped, "Mr. Armando! Do you not recognize me?"

He shook his head. "That... voice... I haven't heard it in a million years... can it... be... her?"

She said, "Yes. It is me."

He went into a hugging stance, but was cut short when his hands contacted the wall.

"If only I could get out of this cell and back with you again, Kitten!"

Mia reminded, "Mr. Armando! I'm dead, aren't I? The only reason I'm speaking to you today is through my sister."

Phoenix added, "How could you not see her?"

He replied, "My visor is dirty. Clogged with debris."

Mia instructed, "Wipe it off with your hand."

And so he did. "Wow! I can finally see my fine little Kitten again! I thought that my visor was broken!"

Phoenix asked further, "Do you know anyone who is related to Redd White?"

Diego scoffed, "Redd White? Who in the hell is he? I ain't heard of no man named 'Redd White'."

Mia asked, "Remember this guy? He was on the news in 2001. He told the President to give a diatribe of my entire family."

His brain clicked. "Yes! Of course! I remember this man! I remember now!"

Phoenix asked again, "Did he have any brothers or sisters?"

He replied, "One brother. His name is Earl White. Probably not of the scheming type. He ain't like Redd."

Mia happily suggested, "Off to the District Court!"

January 6, 5:49 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 1

By the time that they had reached the lobby, Maya had ceased channeling her sister, and all they had to do was talk to Pearl. Maya had a few questions before they entered the courtroom.

"Pearls," she asked, "did anyone tell you to do it?"

She defended, "No! I'm innocent, Mystic Maya! I'm not a criminal!"

Phoenix scratched his head. "Pearl, when someone blows up a school, they remind me of the UNABOM guy."

Maya corrected, "The Unabomber, you mean?"

Pearl acted confused. "What is a you-nuh-bowmb-ur?"

Phoenix added, "He was some person who made bombs and placed them in various places. Before the FBI had his identity, they knew him as UNABOM; UNiversity and Aircraft BOMber."

Pearl laughed, "UNABOMB? What kind of word is that?"

Suddenly, the intercom blared, "Would the defense please enter the courtroom?"

Maya noted, "Nick! Here we go again!"

January 6, 6:00 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 1

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Pearl Fey," he said.

Phoenix recited, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

But when the judge turned his head towards the prosecution, there was no response.

He asked, "Mr. Payne?"

The bailiff stuttered, "Your Honor, Mr. Payne is unavailable at the moment."

The judge screamed, "Unavailable? Where is he?"

The police officer replied, "He is on a cruise with his wife, Nancy. We will need to contact another prosecutor. Until then, we will order a recess."

The judge banged his gavel. "This court will now have a 30 minute..."

A voice yelled, "Hold it!"

Everyone inside the room looked at the man who was standing in the hallway. "The prosecution," he said, "is ready, Your Honor."He walked up onto the bench.

The judge asked, "What is your name?"

He motioned, "Before we get to that, I would like to ask Mr. Wright a question. My question is this; do you remember me?"

Phoenix replied, "No."

He smiled, "You should. Hello, brother. It has been a long time since I've seen you."

Maya screamed, "Nick! You said that you were an only child! How can you have a brother?"

Phoenix confessed, "Actually, I have a brother. His name is Nathan. He became a prosecutor a few years ago to help lower crime rates, no matter what the cost."

Maya screamed, "Are you serious?! You never told me that you had one!"

Phoenix admitted, "Sorry. I wanted to keep you out of the story of my personal life, Maya."

Nathan remarked, "And who would that be at your side, Phoenix? Is that your _girlfriend_ by chance?"

Phoenix screamed, "Of course she's my girlfriend! Not to mention my assistant!"

The prosecutor returned, "The proper term is 'co-counsel', brother. But anyways, let's get on with the trial."

The judge banged his gavel. "The prosecution may call its first witness for this section of the trial."

Nathan waved his finger. "Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution calls Earl White to the stand."

The businessman climbed on the the witness stand and smiled. "Mr. White, what exactly is your occupation?"

White smiled and flashed his rings. "What is my occupation, you ask? I don't really have one."

The judge asked, "Mr. White, if you don't have an applicable occupation, than what so you do to produce money?"

The reply was, "I have taken over running my brother's business, Bluecorp. A lot of things have changed since he was executed. It is now a humble organization that writes a newspaper, The Daily Blue."

Maya groaned, "I don't believe it! Not another White!"

The judge banged his gavel. "Mr. White, please give testimony about yourself.", he said.

The man stated, "I am the brother of Redd White, who was executed about 3 years ago. I have one daughter, named Rachel. My wife, Karen, is about 20. And for myself, I am 23! Much younger than that scoundrel!"

The judge paused. "Oh. I see.", he said.

"The defense may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix nodded. White repeated his testimony.

"I am the brother of Redd White, who was executed about 3 years ago. I have one daughter, named Rachel."

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"This Rachel... the defendant has a friend named Rachel. Is she the 'Rachel' that you are referring to?"

White smiled, "Yeah."

The judge ordered, "Mr. White, can you please bring her to the stand?"

The girl soon stood up and looked at the judge. She was scared.

Nathan asked, "Can you please give us some background information about yourself?"

Rachel gasped, "Mr. Wright! Of course I can! I'll give you testimony!"

The judge banged his gavel. "Yes, it is so.", he added.

Her testimony started.

"I was in Kurain Village, observing and taking in the sights. Then, I saw a young girl enter a channeling school. The defense attorney and his co-counsel sat down a distance away. It was about 2 minutes later that I walked behind the building. There, I looked inside and saw her building an explosive! She placed it under a desk and ran away. I back off, and soon enough, there was a powerful explosion!"

Phoenix asked, "Your Honor, it appears that it is time to Cross-Examine the witness."

The judge agreed. Rachel repeated, "I was in Kurain Village, observing and taking in the sights. Then, I saw a young girl enter a channeling school. The defense attorney and his co-counsel sat down a distance away. It was about 2 minutes later that I walked behind the building. There, I looked inside and saw her building an explosive! She placed it under a desk and ran away!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Ms. White, are you sure that she hid it under a desk?"

She smiled, "Yes. It is certain."

He slammed his hands down on the table. "I wonder if I am getting facts or faulty opinion, but I do not agree with that statement. If Pearl placed an explosive under a desk, there would not have an as much of a powerful explosion if she had placed it under the flooring or out in the open!"

Rachel gasped, "Well, I guess!"

The jury roared and the judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Well, it seems that Mr. Wright is correct. It would be insane for a bomber to plant a bomb in a spot where it wouldn't cause much damage."

Nathan screamed, "Objection!"

"Your Honor! Don't forget that the defendant, Pearl Fey, is only 8!"

Phoenix hollered, "Objection!"

"Mr. Wright, that is irrelevant to this case! If Pearl was going to blow up something, she would have gotten tips from somebody!"

The judge slammed his gavel down.

He said, "That's enough, you two."

"Ms. White, I have one question. Did you really see this event?"

She sweated, "N-No, Your Honor."

The judge screamed, "Explain yourself! Why are you lying about witnessing the event?"

Rachel returned, "I wanted to be famous. Sorry, Your Honor."

The judge banged his gavel.

"There will be a recess of 30 minutes to find new leads in this case. Court is now in recess!"


	6. Homonyms

January 6, 6:25 P.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 1

Phoenix sat down on the bench and focused. He was concerned that his brother would cause him to lose the case. Suddenly, Phoenix's phone rang loudly, disturbing those around him.

He quickly answered. He said, "Hello?"

The response was, "Hey, pal! Detective Gumshoe here! I've got a nasty problem! I need you to see it!"

Phoenix replied, "Sure. Be there in a few minutes."

Maya jumped, "Nick, what is all the commotion about?"

Phoenix nodded, "It seems that Gumshoe has a problem."

Pearl begged, "Mr. Nick! I want to see this problem! Can I go?"

Maya sighed, "Sure."

January 6, 6:30 P.M. Police Department

Gumshoe raced into the halls and pulled the three inside the main computer room.

Pearl smiled, "Detective Dick! What's with you today?"

He laughed, "Lots. Anyways, I think that Mr. Wright should have a look at this."

Phoenix asked, "What exactly is the problem here?"

The trenchcoat bearer snapped, "We've had a phishing attack on the main servers!"

Maya exclaimed, "Fishing? I love fishing!"

Gumshoe reminded, "Phishing, not fishing! It is when somebody tried to get information about someone on the internet."

Pearl asked further, "What would you call this phishing attack?"

Gumshoe replied, "Since it is directed at the LAPD, I'd call this 'whaling'."

Maya laughed hysterically and slumped down to the floor with a red face.

Phoenix asked, "Did they successfully phish?"

Gumshoe explained, "No, pal. They just tried to. We traced the IP Address to an employee of Blue Screens Inc. I bet you'll recognize his name; it is Adam Mada."

Maya screamed, "Adam Mada?! He's no better than Glen Elg, that computer virus genius!"

Pearl asked, "How did you keep him from carrying out an attack?"

Phoenix reminded, "Gumshoe, doesn't the department have anti-phishing software installed on all the computers?"

He replied, "What do you think, pal? Of course we do!"

Phoenix asked, "Could you fine Mr. Mada for phishing instead of charging him?"

Gumshoe asked, "Why?"

Phoenix stated, "If he is Guilty of the bombing, he might not get convicted of it due to double jeopardy."

Gumshoe sighed, "Sure."

Maya stopped laughing and questioned, "How is Maggey doing?"

Gumshoe blushed. "She... um... kissed me earlier today. Don't ask why she did, as I do not know why."

Pearl gasped, "Aww! Detective Dick and Maggey Byrde! What a lovely relationship! It's just like Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick's! I can't believe it! Everybody is falling in love!"

Maya noted, "We don't have forever. We need to get back in that courtroom!"

January 6, 6:55 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 1

The judge banged his gavel. "Court will now reconvene for the trial of Ms. Pearl Fey," he said. "Mr. Wright, did you find any substantial evidence?"

The prosecutor replied, "One thing, Your Honor. I took a ride up to Kurain Village, and I found a computer in the room, seemingly unscathed by the blast. It was referred to by the acolytes as the 'Kurain Komputer'."

The jury judge continued, "Mr. Wright, why is there a computer in such a place?"

He answered, "It appears that they were able to afford one computer. It is the only one in the village. I found evidence of a program on the disk, which appears to be a phishing program."

Phoenix groaned, "Dammit! Pearl is gonna be convicted!"

Maya calmed, "Nick! Don't be so pessimistic. We still have a chance."

Phoenix laughed, "Like, really? It's over. They're going to call Mada to the stand, and he'll get acquitted of the crime because of double jeopardy! Gumshoe isn't on my side, Maya! He probably ignored my orders to cancel the charges!"

His head sunk. "And Pearl will die."

Phoenix could feel his heart throbbing in pain.

The judge asked, "Do you wish to call a witness?"

Wright nodded, "The prosecution calls Adam Mada to the stand."

Phoenix moaned, "Graaaah!"

The programmer took the podium and smiled as if nothing happened. He asked, "Mr. Mada, is it true that you attempted phishing the police department?"

He replied, "Yes. I did."

The jury roared. The judge banged his gavel and screamed, "Order! Order in the court!"

"Mr. Mada, please testify about the program in the computer and why you phished the LAPD."

Mada started, "I installed to program on the so-called 'Kurain Komputer' about one week ago. I came inside the building at 1:00 A.M. I put in the disk and installed the program. Later, I used another program to access it and push it to the police's servers, but it failed to work. However, I have nothing to do with the explosion incident!"

The judge agreed, "I see no reason to question your testimony, Mr. Mada. I am now ready to deliver my verdict!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Your Honor! A moment, please! I must Cross-Examine the witness!"

The judge questioned, "He passed a polygraph test, Mr. Wright. Why question his testimony?"

He screamed, "Your Honor, just because he passed a police polygraph doesn't mean that he is innocent!"

The jury and the crowd roared out various things, such as "Yeah! Justice shall be served!" and "Don't let him get away!" One voice even added, "Mada is a poopyhead!"

The judge finally succumbed. "Mr. Wright, drop what you're doing and Cross-Examine that witness!"

Mada grinned, "I installed the program one week ago."

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Exactly how long ago?"

"It was Tuesday."

"However, I have nothing to do with the incident!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

He pointed his finger. "Mr. Mada, it seems that you had at least something to do with the case!"

The programmer shrugged, "And what is that?"

The attorney slammed his hands on the desk. "Mr. Wright presented evidence regarding the contents of a document found on the hard drive. It reads: 10 lbs. of potassium nitrate, 10 lbs. of sulfur, and 10 lbs. of charcoal= My plan for revenge! So, Mr. Mada, try to talk your way out of this one!"

He jumped and sweated. The judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Order in the court!"

"Mr. Wright! Are you sure that Mr. Mada would put such a thing down on paper?"

He replied, "It is so. The document wasn't made on the computer, but was transferred to it using a flash drive, it seems."

Mada yelled, "Wait a minute! I there evidence that I even created the document?"

The judge asked, "Mr. Wright, where is your evidence supporting your claim?"

Phoenix thought, "I should have thought this one through!"

He said, "Not one piece of evidence supports my evidence, Your Honor."

Suddenly, his head was jerked to the side. Maya screamed, "Nick! Don't give up now! You're so close to catching a lead!"

Phoenix groaned, "I can't indict him! I have no evidence!"

She returned, "Well, that may be... but that doesn't mean that you can't find any! There must be something in the Court Record that supports your claims! All you need to do is find it!"

The judge asked, "Mr. Wright, I couldn't exactly hear you. Please tell me the evidence that supports your claims!"

Phoenix screamed, "Take that!"

"The police department traced the IP address of Mr. Mada. It matches the flash drive's formatting code. So, Mr. Mada, can you explain why?"

He jumped, "Mr. Wright, it seems that you don't understand. I work for a firework company on the weekends. And my plan for 'revenge' was to launch fireworks as a prank!"

Phoenix yelled, "W-WHAAAAAT?!"

The jury roared and the judge banged his gavel. He said, "Order! Order in the court!"

"Mr. Mada, could you testify about why you installed the files on the computer?"

He answered, "Of course. You see, I must have accidentally installed the files on the hard drive when I was putting the phishing program on it! As a result, the document was placed on the computer! Sorry about the misunderstanding."

Phoenix thought, "Really? Is this man telling the truth? I don't think so."

The judge simultaneously believed, "That makes sense. The defense may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix closed his eyes for a brief second, and listened to the testimony.

He soon screamed, "Objection!"

"Mr. Mada, you must have manually placed the files on the drive, as shown by my computer knowledge. And so, you intentionally placed the files on the computer! Care to explain?"

Mada grew weary and said, "Ol Wrighty... I... I um..." He then passed out and fell to the ground.

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel three times. "Order! Order! Order!"

He continued, "It seems that we have insufficient time and evidence to continue the trial. The third and final day of the trial of Ms. Pearl Fey will occur tomorrow at 10:00 A.M. And with that, court is adjourned!"

He banged his gavel again.

January 6, 7:42 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix sat down at the table next to Maya. He handed her a package, and she proceeded to open it.

He said, "Here is your ramen, Maya. Sorry I made you wait so long for it. It's a late Christmas gift of sorts."

She screamed, "Yipee! I LOVE RAMEN!"

The attorney almost watched in amusement as she placed the package in the microwave, and then ate it.

Phoenix found it strange how Maya was able to inhale ramen at such a rate. He almost wondered if Mia had thought at one time that Maya would grow up to be a vacuum cleaner. After 1 minute of noodle vacuuming, she stopped and disposed of the remains.

He asked, "Do you eat ramen, or do you inhale it?!"

Maya giggled, "Sorry! I forgot. Tee hee hee."

Phoenix sighed, "Maya, you need to stop doing stupid stuff like that. Eat your food properly."

She accepted, "Sure thing, Nick."

He then said, "Maya, don't forget. I love you."

Maya smiled, "I love you too, Nick."

He kissed her and started to move at an awkward pace towards towards the couch. While their lips were locked together, Phoenix almost tripped over an extension cord and nearly missed the furniture by a mile. He managed to get there eventually.

She broke the kiss and asked, "Nick, what are you doing?"

Phoenix replied, "You'll see."

She gasped, "Nick... we shouldn't be doing this in the open. Let's go back to the bed in the back room."

And so they did. They sat down on the covers. Maya noted that Phoenix was struggling to unbutton his dress shirt.

She asked, "Nick... need help?"

He sweated, "Yeah. I could."

Her fingers soon did so. Before long, Phoenix Wright was only in his underwear.

He asked, "Maya, could you... um..."

She asked, "Take it off?"

He blushed, "Yes. Go ahead."

Maya felt massive amounts of nervous tension as her hands slowly moved towards the sash.'She asked herself, "Am I really getting this close to Nick? Why am I doing this?"

Her hands grew numb and she struggled to get the fabric undone. After about 5 seconds of this, Phoenix's hands landed on it. He untied it with ease.

"There you go," he said.

She felt the cold air rush over her exposed skin as she removed her kimono and placed her pendant on the table next to the bed.

Phoenix immediately reached for Maya's hair beads, and began untying it as well. The plastic beads came out easily, and her hair flowed loosely down to her waist.

He asked, "Maya, is that all right?"

She begged, "No. I want more."

He positioned his hands so that they were on her smooth abdominal muscles. She made a funny noise as he moved his hands up and down.

Maya cooed, "Oh, Nick... please keep doing it... it feels good."

Phoenix smiled and moved his hands higher. As he rubbed faster, she gradually began to mumble mixtures between his name and various Japanese words she had learned years past. When he was with Maya in bed, more often not half-naked, minutes felt like hours and hours felt like days.

Phoenix whispered, "Your skin is so soft! It feels like a bed of marshmallows!"

Maya blushed, "Why, thank you!"

He continued to rub her, and she ran her fingers through her hair.

After a while, she moaned, "Niiiiiiiiiiiiick..."

And his hands slowed. He fell into a kiss with her and sighed, "Maya, I love you."

She replied, "I love you too, Nick."

She slowly placed her head down on the pillow.

Phoenix wrapped his hands around her and fell asleep as well.


	7. Lovers Say As Lovers Do

January 7, 7:00 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix arose from his deep slumber and found Maya next to him. She was still asleep, and he smiled. He loved it when she would sleep with him. He ran his fingers through her jet black hair, and compared it to his own. It was even darker, but only slightly.

Phoenix then pulled the covers back a little and attached his fingers to her abdomen, and pulled her close to him. Maya was really important to him, and he didn't want to lose her.

She was the girl of his dreams in the real world. He knew that she had never had a relationship before, as there are about 500 residents of Kurain Village, but only 250 men are actually present, and most of them are married. Very few single men actually live there.

Phoenix also remembered that he was thought of by his peers as being foolish and ridiculous, therefore preventing him from having a girlfriend in high school. Consequently, he never attended prom, and was jealous that Larry Butz was somehow able to sway at least one girl into attending with felt as if he was never meant to have a relationship during those days.

In college, he almost lost himself to Dahlia Hawthorne, but Mia had uncovered her dark secrets before he could. He wasn't too scarred, but stayed clear of women for at least a year afterward. As with before, he never had a girlfriend in college after that, and he obviously was frustrated.

Until she had confessed her love for him back a year ago, he never figured that she liked him whatsoever. He had felt urges beforehand to tell her his love for her, but he didn't have the nerve to do so because he thought he would be rejected. After all, she didn't look interested.

The attorney asked himself, "Does Maya really love me... or is she just saying that?"

He thought for a while, and concluded, "She does love me. If she didn't, she wouldn't want to take off her kimono and sleep with me. After all, it takes a lot of bravery to do that, especially for a girl like Maya."

He looked over again, and Maya was attempting to rouse herself from sleeping.

She asked, "Nick, did I miss something?"

Phoenix answered, "Not a thing."

He was answered to by a kiss. He felt ecstasy erupt from within himself as she did so. To keep up with the demand for pleasure, Phoenix took his hands, and for the second time for the day, latched them firmly onto Maya's firm abdomen.

She cooed, "Ah! Phoenix! That's it! Keep going!"

He began to sweat in semi-embarrassment, and he didn't know if it was from him trying to please Maya's appetite for dopamine and serotonin, or wether it was him trying to satisfy Maya's need for him. Phoenix re-positioned his hands so that they were just under her chest.

As the attorney moved his hands, Maya gasped, "Nick! It feels like you're rubbing at over a 100 miles an hour!"

She could barely contain herself. Phoenix thought, "Yeah. It sure does, Maya."

She then yelped and instructed, "Too high, Nick! Get a little lower!"

Phoenix did so, and she sighed loudly.

That instant, Phoenix realized that he had to be at the District Court in 3 hours.

He moaned, "Maya, we need to get ready."

She suddenly got up and replied, "Well, I'll get ready, then.

January 7, 10:00 A.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 1

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Pearl Fey," he said.

Phoenix said, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

He shifted his head towards his brother, who smirked, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

The judge ordered, "The prosecution should call its witness at this time."

Mr. Wright said, "The prosecution calls Delores León to the stand."

Phoenix thought, "How is she going to help anybody? Her name is ridiculous enough!"

Maya asked, "Nick, do you think that we will win the case?"

He replied, "Probably."

Delores stood on the stand proudly, almost oblivious to those around her.

Mr. Wright asked, "Did you happen to see the event as it happened?"

She smiled, "Yeah, I did! I was inside the building on the day of the explosion!"

The judge said, "Ms. León, please testify about your experience."

She started, "I was inside the building when I heard some footsteps. I checked one of the rooms and saw a young girl assembling a strange device. She placed it under a desk and moved to another room. I ran out of the building using the back entrance, and there was a massive fireball that blew it to shreds!"

The judge nodded, "It seems so. Your testimony is highly similar to other testimonies given by other witnesses. And now, the defense should Cross-Examine the witness."

She repeated, "I was inside the building when I heard some footsteps. I checked one of the rooms and saw a young girl assembling a strange device. She placed it under a desk and moved to another room. I ran out if the building using the back entrance, and there was a massive fireball that blew it to shreds!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Are you sure that there is a back entrance?"

She sweated, "Well, sure! There is one!"

The attorney slammed his hands down on the table. "Ms. León," he said, "There is not a back entrance, as if there was, the explosion would have exited through it instead of blowing out the roof!"

She jumped and got real nervous. The jury roared and the judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Order in the court!", he yelled. "Ms. León, would you care to give your testimony again?"

She noted, "Well, I exited through the front door. I was mistaken. But still, I was not even in the room where the bomb was placed! Therefore, it seems that I am unable to be scrutinized further!"

Phoenix thought, "Time to peel the stickers off the paper!"

The Cross-Examination began, and when she talked about not being in the crime scene, he screamed, "Objection!"

"Ms. León, even if you were not at the crime scene, you would have called the police, would't you?"

She answered, "Well, yes."

Phoenix asserted, "In reality, you were in a totally different place than where you say that you were on the day of the murder! You were directly where Pearl allegedly stood when she was assembling the explosive!"

León screamed, "Are you sure! You better have some evidence!"

Phoenix thought, "Do I have any?"

Maya interrupted, "Nick, you've gotta bust her! She's the culprit! I can feel it!"

The attorney blared, "There is one piece of evidence that proves this point!"

He filed through the Court Record, and screamed, "Take that!"

"I was an eyewitness myself. Although I did not see 'Pearl' building the explosive, Maggey Byrde, a resource officer, testified that she saw a girl with red hair. And your hair is red! In addition, your hairstyle is very similar, if not identical to hers! Clearly, the facts are finally becoming clear!"

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel. "Order! Order in the court!", he yelled.

He continued, "Ms. León, is this true? Were you involved in the incident?"

She groaned, "T-That day... I didn't stand there! What I saw was... was... Graaaaaah!"

Delores ripped her bracelet off and launched it across the room.

Phoenix felt slight discomfort as the bracelet smashed into his face.

She screamed, "Attorney! Stop scooping your contradictions from the grab bag!"

Her face wrinkled in anger. Maya turned her head and noted, "She's pissed."

Phoenix pressed, "Were you involved in a plot with Mr. Adam Mada by chance?"

There was silence. But after a short time, she confessed, "Yes. I conspired with Mada. He offered me $20,000 if I did do."

The judge banged his gavel. "I hereby sentence the perpetrator, Mr. Adam Mada, to 5 years in prison, and Ms. Delores León to 1 year in prison."

The judge banged his gavel again. "This court finds the defendant, Ms. Pearl Fey..."

"Not Guilty."

Confetti rained down from the sky. Maya grabbed Phoenix's hands and jumped in the air. Pearl smiled and stayed put, wondering why they were doing so.

The judge said, "And with that, court is adjourned!"

January 7, 2:30 P.M. Defendant Lobby No. 1

Maya led Phoenix to a bench and sat down with him.

She yelled, "Nick! Thanks for saving Pearly's life!"

He replied, "Don't mention it... ever."

Pearl joined them on the bench and cooed, "Mystic Maya! You should have some nice time with Mr. Nick, your special someone!"

Maya smiled, "Yeah. Nick and I could use some time together. It's just that we're quite busy taking cases."

Phoenix added, "I know exactly what we are going to have for dinner."

Maya sparked, "Burgers! It must be burgers!"

The attorney sighed, "Yes. It's burgers." She jumped in joy.

January 7, 5:30 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix sighed. He was glad that Pearl wasn't going to interrupt his date with Maya. She took a seat at the table and smiled. That struck him as odd. She seemed to smile even when the situation was obviously not good.

She smiled after Redd White got executed, even though her sister was still dead. She smiled after Phoenix had rescued her from de Killer's clutches. Maya even smiled after she found out that Godot, which was one of the several aliases of Diego Armando, who had been declared 'dead' by mistake several years prior, had killed her mother to protect her.

Maya stared at Phoenix. He just didn't look okay.

She thought, "He has the same look on his face whenever he is troubled. The last time I saw him like this was back in February..."

She recollected back to the day when she last visited Armando in the Detention Center. He handed her a note through the secure interlock, and it gave him a diagnosis. He was declared legally insane, and was also said to have schizophrenia, in addition to obsessive-compulsive disorder, all of which were triggered by Mia's death.

She sunk her head at the man. Maya then knew that he supposedly 'liked' her because he was the only thing her had left, and wanted her because he was desperate for comfort. She ultimately chatted it up with him, but never really was interested. Maya then left to go back to the law office to have a good time with Nick.

Maya broke the brief silence and asked, "Nick, can you make those burgers? I'm starving!"

He replied, "Why not? I mean, a girl like you would be hungry!"

Phoenix took the hamburgers and prepared them, being careful not to mess up too much. He didn't want Maya to dislike his cooking skills.

About 15 minutes later, Phoenix placed a plate on the table. Maya picked up her burger and began to eat it quickly. As Phoenix took his time, he noted that Maya was almost inhaling hers. It took a rather short time for the two to completely digest their meal.

They ventured back to the bed, and sat down. Phoenix got under the covers, still in his attorney's outfit, and turned on the television.

But before he could get Maya to do the same, she asked, "Nick, could I use the shower?"

He blushed hard. "Yes, Maya. Go ahead."

Her feet seemed to not touch the ground as she headed into the bathroom, and made sure she locked the door. Phoenix muted the television, and heard the sounds of Maya turning on the water supply. He knew when she was in the shower because she would hum (or more commonly, sing) _Samurai_ meta series theme songs.

Phoenix felt a thought shift to his mind, but he couldn't shove it out. He thought about what Maya looked like without any clothes on. He could see himself gazing at her youthful, rather athletic body and small frame, taking in her beautiful features. His brain tried repeatedly to remove the thought from memory, but simply couldn't.

Phoenix knew that Maya _was_ beautiful. If she wasn't, he wouldn't have loved her in the first place. It was just that he wondered if Maya knew that _she_ was beautiful. He also cared that she wasn't like Mia. He felt that it took more than voluptuous breasts to sway him into falling for a girl.

Just then, he heard a knocking sound on the door, and he opened it. Maya stood halfway out and said, "Nick, take this."

He turned his head to the side in modesty, hoping not to catch a glimpse of her tender mounds of flesh and her pubic area. Luckily, he didn't.

The door shut as soon as it opened. He took a look at what he saw. "Swim trunks?!", he screamed. "What is Maya going to do to me?"

He nervously shed his business clothes, folded them up, and inserted himself inside. It felt... strange to wear such a garment in January.

Phoenix knocked on the door.

Maya answered, "Come on in, Nick."

The door opened, and Phoenix looked across the room and saw that a makeshift hot tub had been established in one of the bathtubs of the office. He wondered why Mia had made the office so much like a home.

But besides that, he noticed that Maya was dressed in a bikini. He had never seen her in one before, and she looked very cute.

He thought, "Oh, God... what am I supposed to say here?"

She smiled, "Hi, Nick! Come on, don't be shy! There's no reason not to join me! It's nice and warm in here! Nick, I know that you want some!"

Phoenix forced himself to stick his legs in, which were soon followed by the rest of his body.

Maya asked, "Nick, want to check out my hair?"

He groaned, "Oh, brother. This better not be too crazy."

She took the towel which was wrapped around her hair and removed it, showing it off to him. It was the exact same hairstyle that she usually had.

Phoenix sighed, "Well, it looks good."

She took one of the jet black strands to which a hair bead was attached and placed in of then in her hands. Just when Maya was about to dry it off, Phoenix grabbed it, pulled it back, and let go. It swung into her other strand, which rebounded, causing the first bead to fly back.

The attorney laughed as this process occurred, while Maya stared at him. She wasn't very amused.

"Nick," she scolded, "My hair beads are not designed for use as a Newtonian device!"

Phoenix admitted, "Yeah, that was a bad idea. Sorry 'bout that."

Her mocha brown eyes met his grey ones head on.

Maya asked, "Nick... hold still."

She grabbed his arms and leaned forward quite a ways, and struggled into a kiss with him. The attorney retaliated by lifting Maya out of the warm water a small amount and sitting back down. The two kept close, kissing each other repeatedly for a long time.

Phoenix suddenly lifted his legs and stood. Maya asked, "Nick, can I get my stuff on?"

He responded, "Sure. Go ahead, Maya."

He closed his eyes as she dressed herself back into her usual bra and panties, and handed Phoenix a pair of boxers.

As he put them on, he gasped, "My size! How do you... how do you... know?"

She giggled, "Well, I know you a little more than you might think."

Maya followed Phoenix to the bed, which was about 50 feet away. They both got under the covers. The attorney latched his hands to her abdomen.

She cooed, "Ah, Nick..."

And he moved his hands up and down, causing Maya to feel pleasureful sensations.

Phoenix payed attention to her, and noted she was moaning out words that sounded like his name. He stopped suddenly.

Maya asked, "Nick, what?"

He replied, "Why were you moaning out my name?"

She blinked. "I love you, Nick. That's why I was moaning your name."

Phoenix admitted, "I love you too, Maya."

His hands moved higher, making Maya vibrate faster and groan louder than before.

She gasped, "N-Nick!"

He felt Maya tense under him and bring her hands up. She kissed him several times, and collapsed down onto the bed, seeming to be worn out by the experience.

Maya opened her eyes. She said, "Good night, Nick."

Phoenix smiled, "Same here."


	8. Poor Judgement

January 8, 7:30 A.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix roused himself from sleeping. He noticed that Maya was draped slightly over the edge of the bed, and corrected this by moving her so that she was no longer on the verge of falling out. She looked rather peaceful; her hair, despite being in the usual style, added to her beauty.

The attorney shifted himself to the right and pulled the covers back a bit. His eyes shifted to Maya, and he took a gaze at her. He noticed that her collarbones were slightly visible, which led down to her small breasts, packed semi-tightly into her purple bra. Further down, her hourglass figure was noticeable, which were followed by her hips, which ultimately led to her legs and finally to her feet.

Maya was, in short, beautiful. Phoenix couldn't resist her. She was irresistible to him because she was cute, spunky, and fun to have around. He pulled her close to him and sighed.

"I wonder when she will awake," he thought. "She is rather sleepy."

The moment he thought that, her eyes opened.

She asked, "Oh! Hi, Nick! How is it going?"

Phoenix replied, "Good, Maya. I bet that we should watch the news. It's about time we tuned into CNN."

Maya grabbed the remote and turned the television on.

The anchor announced, "Good morning, America. Currently, Blue Screens Inc. employee Adam Mada is being transferred from the Detention Center in Los Angeles to a prison. Jim Staples is here with our current story."

Phoenix sighed, "Go figure. They would televise this."

The broadcast resumed, "We are right here at the Detention Center, waiting for the police to bring out Mr. Mada."

Maya pointed him out as the police led him to the armored car, almost seemingly in a bored fashion.

A person in the crowd then ran up to Mada, raised their left hand, and fired.

The reporter screamed, "He's been shot! Adam Mada's been shot!"

The police scrambled for the gunman, but they had already fled the scene. Phoenix's eyes flickered back to Mada. He was doubled over in pain, but wasn't moving. He then slumped down to the floor.

The screen turned to static, and the "Special News Bulletin" screen appeared.

The anchor reported, "This is a special news bulletin. We have received reports that Adam Mada was shot and killed while being transferred from the Detention Center in Los Angeles to a prison 15 miles away."

Maya grabbed the remote and turned the television off.

She gasped, "Nick, I can't listen to this anymore! It's too awful!"

Phoenix agreed. "Let's listen to the radio then. There can't be anything too bad about radio!"

He turned it on. The announcer said, "This just in; the January issue of 'Oh! Cult!' is now available for purchase! Don't forget to read it, as this is the magazines 125th issue! And now, back to our regular programming!"

Maya then heard something land outside the front door, so she picked it up and returned. Phoenix knew that she was up to something, as she held the magazine and smiled.

"Oh! Cult!: Issue 125," she read. "Ah, and the top story for today is... Sister Iris Gets Arrested?!"

Phoenix did a double take. "What! Where?", he asked.

She replied, "Sister Iris of Hazakura Temple was arrested on suspicions of murder, as the police believed that she assassinated Adam Mada, a computer programmer from Blue Screens Inc. He was charged with phishing yesterday, and was sentenced to 5 years in prison, yada,  
yada, yada."

He bolted, "We must investigate! Off to the Detention Center!"

January 8, 8:00 A.M. Detention Center

Phoenix sat down in the seat, and examined Iris. Her hair was somewhat messy and two or three strands of hair ran down the front of her face.

Maya asked, "Sister Iris! What happened?"

She grunted, "What the hell do you want? Er, oh! It's you, and not some stupid security guard!"

The attorney pressed, "Why are you so distressed?"

She sighed, "Feenie, you don't understand. They just ripped me right out of the Main Temple and threw me in a dungeon! They don't have any respect for me whatsoever!"

Maya commented, "And by 'dungeon', you mean this?"

Iris coughed, "Yes. I mean, what is with these Westerners?"

Phoenix corrected, "We aren't 'Westerners', Iris. We are 'Americans'. And so are you. We aren't part of Japan."

She sweated, "Sorry! I got a little carried away! I remember when Bikini screamed, 'I'm gonna go out and kill those Westerners! They charged me $200 for Income Tax! But at least they didn't make me pay 10%!'"

Maya asked, "When was this?"

"Yesterday."

Just then, Pearl popped up from behind Phoenix and yelled, "Mystic Maya!"

She screamed back, "Pearls! Wait a minute... where did you come from?"

She smiled, "I was right behind you the whole time! I'm just enthralled by how you follow Mr. Nick wherever he goes, and it seems that he was truly your 'special someone'!"

Iris gasped, "You mean... they LOVE each other?!"

Pearl blushed, "Yep. Join me, Sister Iris! Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick are sitting in the law office, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Before she could say another word, Maya said, "Pearl, we get the point."

Pearl sighed, "I guess so. But I'll just say it one more time. Mr. Nick _is_ Mystic Maya's special someone!"

Iris giggled, "Pearl, you are quite gregarious."

She asked, "What's grig-air-ee-us?"

Phoenix answered, "When you are gregarious, you are a very outgoing person."

Maya reminded them, "We are here to ask questions, Iris. My first question is this: what were you doing on the day of the assassination?"

She replied, "I was... channeling a spirit."

Maya asked, "What spirit?"

She replied, "My father, Daniel Hawthorne. I decided that... after I realized my horrific past, I channeled my deceased father to say 'hi' to him."

Pearl's eyes filled up with tears. "Oh, Sister Iris!", she sobbed. "Why did Mystic Dahlia have to become evil?"

Maya snapped, "Pearly! Never, ever, _ever_ refer to that demoness as 'Mystic Dahlia' as long as you live! She was a dastardly, twisted tyrant who was contorted by her life's ugly past, and she didn't want to accept it!"

Iris continued, "Feenie, do you have any more questions?"

Phoenix answered, "No. Maya, we should be off to the District Court soon. We need to get on the ball."

She replied, "Okay, Nick."


	9. Turnabout Bullet

January 8, 10:00 A.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 6

The jury roared for a short time, and the judge banged his gavel. "Court is now in session for the trial of Sister Iris of Hazakura Temple."

Phoenix declared, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

He turned his head, and there was a woman at the bench. She said, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

The judge continued, "Ms. Payne, could you give your opening statement?"

Maya gasped, "Nick! I can't believe it! The wife of Winston Payne is a prosecutor too!"

Phoenix groaned, "I bet he has either a serious obsession with court, or likes having fellow prosecutors. Probably both."

"Your Honor," she stated, "It seems that Ms. Fey fired a gun at point-blank range, which penetrated into his body and killed him instantly."

Iris screamed, "Objection!"

"Ms. Payne, my title is 'Sister Iris of Hazakura Temple'!"

The prosecutor scoffed, "All right, then, 'Sister Iris of Hazakura Temple'!"

The judge scolded, "Ms. Payne! It is forbidden to mock the defendant!"

She replied, "R-Right. Sorry, Your Honor."

He asked, "Mr. Wright, does the defense have any objections?"

Phoenix replied, "No, Your Honor. Ms. Payne may call the first witness.

She smiled, "The prosecution calls Detective Dick Gumshoe to the stand."

Ms. Payne asked, "Before we proceed, Detective, I have one question: what is your name? After all, you name might not necessarily be Dick. "

He replied, "My name is Dick Gumshoe, sir!"

She groaned, "All right. Go on with your testimony."

He stated, "I was given statements by the ATF, or the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. They noted that they delivered several high-powered rifles that could shoot bullets at 17,500 miles per hour. Upon hearing that Adam Mada had been shot, we knew we had our culprit. We immediately arrested Ms. Iris Fey!"

The judge nodded, "I agree with you, Detective. The defense may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix grunted, and focused hard. "I was given statements by the ATF."

He yelled, "Hold it!"

"Why were you given statements by the ATF?"

Gumshoe shrugged, "Pal, I'm pretty sure that I work for the police department. We get stuff like that all the time."

"They noted that they delivered several high-powered rifles that could shoot bullets at 17,500 miles per hour!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Are you sure that they would make guns with such power?

" He replied, "Well, I guess. Those bullets are highly dangerous, pal."

"We immediately arrested Ms. Iris Fey!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Why did you arrest Iris?"

Gumshoe answered, "She was young. After all, the other lady probably couldn't have done it, pal."

The judge pressed, "Detective, who is this 'other lady'?"

Ms. Payne added, "She is Bikini Fey. She was born around 1971, Detective. In other words, she's 48."

Phoenix grinned, "And that proves it! You were prosecuting on the basis of age! So, Detective, your logic is flawed!"

He sweated, "Aaah!"

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Order in the court!", he yelled.

"Detective Gumshoe. It appears that you must show the court that Sister Iris could have committed the crime. I mean, actual evidence. Not speculation."

He replied, "Sure, pal! I can give the court a valid reason why she could have!"

Gumshoe continued, "The defendant was specifically addressed by the ATF as the recipient of the guns. So it appears that for some reason, she became fed up with Mada, and decided to eliminate him. Those bullets travel 5 miles a second, so very easily could have been killed!"

The judge said, "It sounds plausible. Mr. Wright, you can Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix focused. He didn't want Iris to be convicted by some random lie.

Gumshoe repeated, "The defendant was specifically addressed by the ATF as the recipient of the guns!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Is this so? Why was the defendant specifically addressed as the recipient? After all, there are two people running Hazakura Temple; and those people are the defendant, Sister Iris, and what Detective referred to as 'the other lady', who is otherwise known as Sister Bikini."

The judge enforced, "Detective, do not make up things in your testimony. Be as accurate as possible."

He replied, "Yes, Your Honor."

"Those bullets travel at 5 miles a second!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Detective, must I have to tell you the sad facts regarding those weapons?"

Gumshoe replied, "Sure. Go ahead."

Phoenix noted, "If those bullets really did travel as fast as you say, it would have been completely unnecessary to be on the scene! Therefore, the person who supposedly shot Mada at the scene didn't really shoot him!"

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel louder than ever.

"Order! Order! Order in the court!", he screamed. "Detective, is this true? Do the bullets travel at such a speed?"

He struggled, "Well, I... um..."

Ms. Payne screamed, "Ob-jeck-shaan!"

Maya groaned to Phoenix, "She sounds exactly like her husband when she screams."

"Mr. Wright, it could have been that Iris was on the scene and had a conspirator that fired from Hazakura Temple, and then she fired the fatal shot at the scene!"

The judge accepted. He said, "Mr. Wright, it appears that Detective Gumshoe's testimony is correct. Do do you have any problems with his testimony now?"

Phoenix thought, "Is there anything I can object to? The testimony is flawless!"

Instead, he said, "Dammit!"

Maya gasped, "Nick! I can feel that Detective Gumshoe's testimony has holes. You just can't exactly think that way!"

He screamed, "Your Honor, Detective Gumshoe's testimony is flawed. If Mr. Mada was shot by a gunman at the scene of the death, it would have been unnecessary for a bullet to be fired from Iris's location, and vice versa!"

Gumshoe screamed, "No way!"

Phoenix thought, "Yeah! I've got him!"

The judge asked, "Detective, may you please give to the court your third and final testimony?"

He sheepishly noted, "Yes, Your Honor."

"It seems that I have not made myself quite clear," he said.

"At the scene, I noticed that the bullet wound on Mr. Mada was about 3 inches in diameter. That means that the bullet made a wound 24 times larger than its own diameter. That proves that the bullet was fired by a gun that nobody but Iris Fey was holding!"

The judge agreed. He said, "The defense should Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix latched on to Gumshoe's testimony, and couldn't help but wonder why he made facts up earlier.

"At the scene, I noticed that the bullet wound on Mr. Mada was about 3 inches in diameter. That means that the bullet made a wound 24 times larger than its own diameter. That proves that the bullet was fired by a gun that nobody but Iris Fey was holding!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Detective, are you sure that only Iris could have fired the fatal shot?"

He replied, "Yes! Of course I do, pal! The evidence says so!"

The attorney grinned. "Not true, Detective," he announced. "Remember that a shadowy figure approached Mr. Mada, and fired a shot. That could have been the fatal shot! It could have just raced through his body at 5 miles a second!"

Gumshoe jumped, "Nooooooo!"

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel.

"Mr. Wright! Could you please explain your point to the court?"

He replied, "Yes, Your Honor. You see, Detective Gumshoe is being affected by hysteria. He is all jumpy that he got to work with the case. He then became so consumed, in fact, that he fabricated statements to make it more interesting."

The judge scolded, "Detective Gumshoe! Explain yourself!"

He said, "Your Honor, I was absorbed. Sorry for that."

The reply was, "Detective, this is no laughing matter. Perjury is a serious crime."

Gumshoe sheepishly replied, "Yes, Your Honor."

The judge banged his gavel.

"It appears that the status of our progress in this trial is not clear. The defense and prosecution are highly recommended to collect more evidence to clarify the defendant's guilt. Court will resume at 10:00 A.M. tomorrow. And with that, court is adjourned!"

January 8, 3:23 P.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 4

Phoenix and Maya kept their eyes on Iris as she exited the room.

Pearl broke the silence and asked, "Mystic Maya, is Sister Iris guilty?"

She replied, "Of course not! The charges are fake! They're just trying to convict her of it so that their job will be over!"

Iris popped up from behind. She commented, "Mystic Pearl, I am not guilty! They are just saying that I am!"

Pearl's head sunk. She said, "Sorry. For a second, I thought you were."

Phoenix smiled, "Iris, what were you doing on the day of the assassination?"

She answered, "Feenie, I was channeling my father! I did not lay my hands on a gun!"

The attorney shrugged. "I just don't get it. Ms. Payne is making you seem like a cold-blooded killer. I know that you aren't like that."

Iris acknowledged, "I see."

Phoenix said, "Maya, I bet that we should vacate the building and head back to the office. I have matters to take care of."

Maya replied, "Sure thing, Nick. I bet you have to file the paperwork... again."


	10. Fluffy Antics

January 8, 5:00 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix sat down at his computer and began filing the day's accomplishments.

"State of California vs. Iris Fey, Day 1," he wrote.

"Mr. Phoenix Wright defended his client, Sister Iris of Hazakura Temple, with diligence. However, the prosecutor Nancy Payne attempted to throw Wright off track. In the end, both sides were found to have equally stunning points."

He stopped. The attorney then shut down the computer and walked casually over to the couch. He sat down carefully.

Maya joined him, asking, "Nick, how was work?"

He grunted, "Shit."

She asked further, "Niiiiick, why was work so bad?"

Phoenix replied, "It is plain grueling to work without you beside me."

She asked, "Nick, can I make you some dinner?"

He replied, "Sure. What do you have in mind?"

Maya answered, "Burgers!"

Phoenix groaned, "I guess."

He turned on the television. He stared at the monitor, but he didn't hear the sounds that escaped. All he could think about was her.

Phoenix simply felt a need to satisfy Maya's needs. He knew that she needed food, water, and shelter, like all human beings. But she also needed love, attention, and a family. She pretty much had none.

Her father died for an unknown reason when she was about 2 months old. Her mother was killed by Godot for her own good. And her sister was slaughtered brutally by a greedy, paranoid businessman.

He was the only one that she had left. Ever since she first became her assistant, she had basically lived with Phoenix in the law office. She ate with him, she watched TV with him, and Maya even sometimes bathed with him (with a bathing suit on, of course). Phoenix then felt his mind flash back to the day when he first kissed Maya.

[_Phoenix entered the law office in secret. He was pretty sure that Maya had gone to bed. As he approached his desk, he saw a strange figure in the shadows. The attorney shrugged and sat down. A flash of lightning from outside let the figure's identity become known. _

_"Maya...", he said._

_She got closer, and sniffed. Phoenix asked, "Maya! What's wrong, sweetie?" _

_Maya sobbed, "She's gone! Forever! And no more immediate family is left! She could've been saved if I was more diligent! I let my own mother's life slip through my fingers!" _

_He gasped, "Maya! Don't act like this! It's not good for your health!"_

_More lightning flashed, and the rain outside became a swarming thunderstorm. Each strike was followed by a louder roll of thunder. _

_She cried, "N-Nick! I-If only..."_

_Phoenix interrupted, "Maya. It's okay. You still have me. We'll get through this... together."_

_Maya's face was illuminated for a short time as the lightning flashed again. Streams of tears ran down her face, and her black hair was in a mess. Her normally mocha brown eyes were red and bloodshot._

_She sniffed, "R-Really... Nick?" _

_He answered, "Yes. Truly."_

_Maya screamed, "Come here, Nick!" _

_He pulled her close and brought his lips near hers. She said, "Nick, you can if you want to." _

_Phoenix then kissed her, and felt her accept it as an act of passion. A salty, nasty taste ripped throughout his mouth._

_As he pulled away, he found that his red cravat had been coated with a layer of snot and tears. Their moment may have tarnished his tie and his taste buds, but surely rewarded him in the end._]

Phoenix's mind flared back to Maya. He thought, "It would be terrible if that happened again. I wonder how I could impress her."

She had a large smile on her face as she began to prepare his meal.

He thought, "Well, what could I do?"

The time slowly ticked away, and Phoenix didn't realize that he had been thinking for over an hour until Maya delivered his burger to him.

She asked, "Nick, is something... wrong?"

He replied, "N-No! O-Of course not!"

But secretly, Phoenix thought, "Maybe something is wrong. I don't know."

Maya smiled wider and placed his dinner in front of him.

"Have a great evening!", Maya giggled as she left for the table.

The attorney found himself in a predicament. He felt that Maya was secretly sad, but knew otherwise.

"Someone who is happy smiles... right?", he asked himself. "Nah. That can't be it. She must be hiding something. But then again, Maya wouldn't hide something like that from me."

He almost struggled to take even one bite from the burger. His mind was just too focused on Maya. But then he just focused on eating and ingested it in a rush, almost afraid that Maya was going to find out. Phoenix felt head rush as he walked over to where Maya was.

She said, "Nick, Pearls is watching television. I don't think she'll bother us."

His mind felt like it was falling apart in his hands. Phoenix replied, "I guess."

Maya continued, "You look like you're on edge. Calm down!"

The attorney yelled, "O-On edge? N-No way I'm on edge! I-I'm fine, Maya. Don't worry."

She shook her head. "Objection!", she screamed.

"You are shaking like crazy, Nick! Are you all right?"

Phoenix gasped, "I-I'm just a nervous, that's all."

Maya grabbed his sleeve. "Nick, I know you're hiding something from me. Don't be afraid. Tell me what is ailing you."

Phoenix replied, "N-Nothing!"

That instant, Maya gripped his sleeve even harder and kissed him. She was certain that he couldn't lie to her now. The attorney released himself from the kiss and breathed heavily.

"Maya...", he excitedly noted.

She said, "Nick, you are bored, aren't you? Don't worry! I can fix that!"

Phoenix gasped, "M-Maya! If... if you don't want..."

She placed her hands on his suit. "What's wrong, Nick! Are you scared?"

He replied, "No... it's just that... that... you're just too young for stuff like this."

Maya answered, "Nick, I can do this. I'm not afraid."

Her hands diligently unbuttoned his vest and shirt, and loosened his tie up a bit. She muscled each layer off one by one, and each time another later was removed, her excitement intensified. Maya took the clothing and placed it on the floor next to Phoenix. He some good muscles underneath his shirt.

The attorney's eyes spun around in his head.

"Maya," he noted, "we should get out of the open. Pearls might see us."

She said, "Okay, Nick!"

Before she could stand up, Phoenix picked her up bridal style and carried her into the back room. Her eyes glared at his as he walked the 500 feet.

As he placed her down on the bed, Phoenix said, "Maya, this isn't a one sided event. You need to participate, too."

His hands landed on her sash. Its texture was soft and silky.

She giggled, "Nick, you can take it off if you want to."

Phoenix slowly began to undo it. After about 20 seconds, it fell to the floor. Maya took her hands and spaced her kimono apart, and shortly thereafter, removed it entirely.

Phoenix wrapped his arms around the now partially undressed Maya in front of him, cherishing the moment heavily. She was like a doll to him, free from imperfections and errors.

But Phoenix knew that she was not made with strands of polyester, cotton, and rayon, but rather from muscle, skin, and bone. And he knew that Maya's existence was a matter of chance.

He muttered, "You're beautiful, Maya."

She gasped, "Nick! Are you serious?"

"Yes. You are much cuter than Mia ever could be."

Phoenix moved his hands so that they were on her exposed abdominal area. His hands moved up and down, slowly at first, but gradually sped up.

Maya moaned with pleasure and ecstasy. "More! Please, Nick! More!", she screamed.

Phoenix responded by moving his hands higher up, causing Maya's cries of excitement to become more frequent. He himself began to experience the same feelings that she was. And he knew that Maya was truly happy, although her face was red with embarrassment.

After a few more seconds, Maya said, "N-Nick... could you rub my back, by chance?"

Phoenix turned red and replied, "Sure."

His hands flipped her over in an instant, and began to caress the soft skin that was there. She responded to this by letting out words that didn't seems to make sense to Phoenix whatsoever.

"Maybe she's saying things to me in Japanese," he thought. "It seems that she resorts to things like that when she is desperate to show love for someone."

At that moment, the attorney lifted his hands off of Maya's back and flipped her over so that her face was in line with his.

Phoenix said, "_Mayoi_, I love you." Maya jumped at the sound of it. For Phoenix to call her by her Japanese name was a statement of massive affection.

She replied, "I love you too, Nicky boy."

They both then pulled themselves under the covers and closed their eyes, hoping for the best at tomorrow's trial.


	11. Mystery

January 9, 7:30 A.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix opened his eyes and found Maya was asleep. Her face was planted against the bedsheets. He took his hands and picked her up.

Phoenix whispered, "Come on now, Maya. We need to get ready for the trial."

She asked, "Nick, are you serious? Already? Can't I just get another 15 minutes of sleep?"

He answered, "We have to be there in advance. We can't let our guards down!"

She then gave him a look and disappeared into the bathroom.

Phoenix asked, "What are you doing?"

Maya replied, "Using the bathroom! My bladder is full!"

The door shut. Phoenix began to hum the Jeopardy think music as time elapsed.

After about 10 seconds, he sighed, "Ugh... Maya..."

And he stared at the clock, his eyes mimicking the movements of the second hand. Just when he finished humming the theme completely, Maya emerged fully dressed in her acolyte robes and ready to go.

Phoenix groaned, "No wonder it took you so long!"

January 9, 9:47 A.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 3

Phoenix's left hand immediately made contact with Iris's right arm. He was worried about her.

She screamed, "Feenie! You've finally come to save me!"

Pearl came up and asked, "Sister Iris, what kind of a nickname is that? His name is 'Mr. Nick", not 'Feenie'!"

Maya groaned, "Pearl, let Iris call Nick what she wants to."

The attorney asked, "Before we get in the courtroom, could I tell you a joke about George Washington?"

Pearl said, "Sure! W-Wait? Who's George Wawsh-ing-tun?"

He continued anyway, "There was this Revolutionary War hero named Ethan Allen, and he went to England after the war. The British, still upset about losing, put a large portrait of George Washington in the outhouse that he would hopefully use one night at a dinner. He came back after using it that night, and was very jubilant. They asked him, 'Did you see the picture of George Washington?' He replied, 'Of course!' They responded, 'Was it placed properly?' Allen then said, 'Yes. After all, nothing makes an Englishman shit faster than the sight of _General_ George Washington!'

Iris, Maya, and a police officer positioned at the door near the courtroom entrance immediately burst into hysterical laughter, overcome by the joke.

After their laughter subsided, Phoenix added, "Here's another: Sir Cumference was the most portly man at King Arthur's Round Table; he got that way because he ate way too much Pi. Next to him was Sir Loin, who had a bad heart and died early on. Next to him was Sir Prise, who usually would scare people randomly, who was seated next to Sir Cumcision, who liked to cut people off. Please don't make me tell you who was seated next to him."

Maya and Phoenix proceeded to crack up and bang their fists on the ground.

Pearl said, "I don't get it."

Then, Iris laughed even harder than they did.

Suddenly, the intercom blared, "Mr. Phoenix Wright, stop making silly jokes and get into the courtroom!"

He screamed, "S-Sure!"

January 8, 10:00 A.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 5

The jury roared for a short time, and the judge banged his gavel.

"Court is now in session for the trial of Ms. Iris Fey."

Phoenix announced, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

He set his eyes on a woman with black hair wearing a black attorney's uniform at the prosecutor's bench.

She said, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

The judge continued, "Ms. Edgeworth, do you feel a need to bring up any particular points at this time?"

She replied, "No, Your Honor. I, Amber Edgeworth II, remain indisposed."

Maya screamed, "What the-! Edgeworth has a sister? She's also a prosecutor! No way!"

The judge noted, "The prosecution may call its first witness."

Amber smiled, "Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution calls the defendant, Iris Fey, to the stand."

Iris jumped, "Feenie, what do I do?"

He answered, "Just say what happened the day of the murder. But don't lie. Lying in court is about as illegal as trolling for sturgeon."

She asked, "What's sturgeon?"

The attorney grunted, "Gaaah!"

Iris sweated a little and stood there.

"Ms. Fey," Amber stated, "I ask you one question: what were you doing on the day of the murder?"

She replied, "I was channeling the spirit of my father, Daniel Hawthorne. He died about 3 years ago after he fell down a well."

The prosecutor nodded, "I believe you, but there is a single problem with your statement. If you were channeling a spirit, you were more likely than not at Hazakura Temple, if I am correct?"

Iris replied, "Yes. I was there. I will give testimony if you wish."

The judge asked, "Ms. Fey, the court would enjoy listening to your testimony."

She said, "After channeling the spirit, I retreated to take a bath. I was rather cold. I disrobed and gave my clothes to Sister Bikini, and headed on my way. Therefore, I could have not hidden weapons and fired them!"

Ms. Edgeworth sighed, "Sounds like a plausible alibi; it is just that even though you weren't wearing any clothes, there are three orifices of your body in which you could have stored ammunition!"

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Order in the court!", he yelled. "Ms. Fey, it appears that you could have killed Mr. Mada. Could you please give your testimony again?"

Phoenix stood by. He noticed that Iris's face was red.

She said, "Ms. Edgeworth, I am not a mischief maker. I don't like to stick objects up my ass. Hence, those previous accusations are faulty! Not only that, but look at me! Do I look like I would shoot and kill someone like that?"

Ms. Edgeworth screamed, "Objection!"

"Ms. Fey, I am afraid that using phrases like that is not a practice that is acceptable. I demand that the witness not testify any more."

The judge banged his gavel. "Ms. Edgeworth! Are you certain about this request?"

She replied, "Yes, Your Honor."

Iris turned her head to Phoenix. Her hair was messy, with about 4 to 5 strands in front of her face.

She said, "Feenie, save me from this prosecutor!"

He nodded, but didn't say anything. The judge banged his gavel.

"The witness is dismissed from the stand."

He added, "Ms. Edgeworth, you may call the next witness."

She answered, "Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution's next witness observed the event from the transport area. She is a new reporter for CNN. The prosecution calls Kathrine Esmarch to the stand."

The witness stood there and smiled briefly.

Ms. Edgeworth continued, "Ms. Esmarch, please state nothing but truthful information. We had a detective become hysterical yesterday and make up information."

The judge ordered, "Ms. Esmarch, please testify to what you saw."

"I was holding the camera still, keeping it focused on Mada. But then, somebody charged up to him, with their left hand raised! They then fired, killing him instantly. His lifeless body dropped to the floor, and a pool of blood coated the ground!"

The judge nodded, "This testimony is almost cliché. Mr. Wright, you may Cross-Examine the witness."

She repeated, "I was holding the camera still, keeping it focused on Mada. But then, somebody charged up to him, with their left hand raised!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Ms. Esmarch, are you 100% sure that the killer was left handed?"

She answered, "Yes. I saw it with my own eyes!"

He slammed his hands down on the desk. "Ms. Esmarch, this is contradicted by the route the killer apparently took. He came up from behind Mr. Mada, and shot him. So in reality, he was right handed!"

Esmarch jumped and began to sweat in embarrassment. The jury roared. The judge slammed his gavel down rather hard.

"Order! Order in the court!"

"Ms. Esmarch, could you please give your testimony again?"

She struggled, "You see, I must have gotten confused because I was aiming the camera at Mr. Mada. When I saw the gunman fire, I must have gotten confused for a second, therefore causing the contradiction you just pointed out!"

The judge seemed to be impressed. He said, "Mr. Wright, Cross-Examine the witness!"

Ms. Esmarch recited, "When I saw the gunman fire, I must have gotten confused for a second, therefore causing the contradiction you just pointed out!"

Phoenix grasped the Court Record and filed his hands through it. He screamed, "Objection!"

"You believe that Mr. Mada was shot by a _gunman_?"

She replied, "Yes. He shot him in cold blood!"

Phoenix slammed his hands down on the table. "Ms. Esmarch, the shooter may have have been female!"

She screamed, "Aaaah!"

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel. "Order! Order in the court!"

"Ms. Esmarch, can you explain?"

She grunted, "Y-Your Honor... c-can't breathe!"

The judge nodded, "The witness is struggling to maintain her composure. There will be a 15 minute recess to allow the witness time to relax. Court is now in recess!"


	12. Throwback Snatcher

January 9, 1:14 P.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 3

Phoenix sat down next to Iris, who was panting heavily.

He yelled, "Iris, don't have an asthma attack! There's no reason to worry!"

She replied, "Feenie, I couldn't believe how fast you ripped apart that witness's testimony! Let's just wait and see what she does next!"

Maya added, "Sister Iris, I'm pretty sure you're Not Guilty. But I still wonder how Aunt Morgan is doing down in isolation."

Pearl popped up and screamed, "Mystic Maya! I bet she's probably sulking over why she burst out at you and Mr. Nick!"

She answered, "I guess so."

The intercom sounded a long, monotone sound.

"All right," Phoenix said. "It's about time we ventured back into that courtroom."

January 9, 1:29 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 5

The judge banged his gavel. "Court will now reconvene for the trial of Ms. Iris Fey," he said. "Ms. Edgeworth, do you have any evidence that you would like to add to the Court Record?"

She sighed, "Your Honor, I would like to submit two items. The first was a genome card found in the pocket of the victim. The other is the coat that the victim was wearing the day of the assassination."

Maya gasped, "Nick, she's trying to throw you off track! Focus and press that witness!"

The judge ordered, "Ms. Esmarch, please give your final testimony to the court."

She sweated, "I have nothing to do with this incident. In fact, before this incident, had never heard of the defendant, let alone you and your assistant, Maya Fey. I am just a simple camerawoman being accused of a heinous crime!"

The judge jumped, "Those are quite some accusations, Ms. Esmarch. The defense may Cross-Examine the witness."

She repeated, "I have nothing to do with this incident. In fact, before this incident, had never heard of the defendant, let alone you and your assistant, Maya Fey."

Phoenix screamed with all of his strength, "OBJECTION!"

He panted heavily and kept his finger wagging at her. "Ms. Esmarch, I have irrefutable evidence that you knew both me and Maya before this event! In fact, you are not who you say you are!"

She screeched, "No way!"

Phoenix returned, "Yes way! In fact, you are..."

"Take that!"

"You are, in reality, Flora de Killer!"

She asked, "de Killer?! Who is that?"

He continued, "Take a look at this genome card. On the back, is a shell; this is a calling card of Shelly de Killer! And check this out: this coat has skin cells on it! And his skin cells are on it! According to a police report, he has a daughter named Flora!"

She screamed, "N-Nooooooooooo!"

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel. "Order! Mr. Wright, explain why Ms. de Killer would want to kill Mr. Mada."

Phoenix replied, "Yes, Your Honor. You see, Ms. de Killer had acquired a client, none other than Adam Mada! He had information about a target, so the de Killers made his their client! But when he couldn't give any good info, they ended his life! I have a feeling who this target is."

de Killer snapped, "Who's my client, then?"

He replied, "Your objective... is to kill my very assistant, Maya Fey!"

The jury roared various sayings. One man shouted, "Save Maya Fey!"

Every jury member soon joined the chorus.

"SAVE MAYA FEY! SAVE MAYA FEY!", they chanted.

The judge responded by smashing his gavel five times, the last of which was extremely loud.

"ORRRRRDER!", he screamed. "Mr. Wright, why would they want to kill Ms. Maya Fey?"

Phoenix, with his eyes bloodshot and his adrenaline level high, screamed, "Your Honor, Shelly de Killer kidnapped Maya a few years ago. He said that she would die unless I got a Not Guilty verdict for his client... but Maya was rescued safe and sound, not to mention sleep-deprived and rather famished. But this time, they were going to take out their frustrations on me by killing my beautiful Maya! And the truth is... I love her! I couldn't bear it if I were to lose her!"

The jury roared things like, "He loves her?"

Another asked the person next to him, "Maya Fey and Phoenix Wright?"

A child's voice announced, "Oh, who lives in a law office down the street? Phoenix Wright!"

The judge bolted, "Ms. de Killer! Are these accusations true?"

Her eyes snapped open and she screamed, "N-Not one bit, Your Honor! You see, the truth is that... that... Graaaaaaaah!"

She tore at her hair and face, and then passed out and rolled on the floor out of the courtroom.

The judge said, "This trial is probably the most amazing one I have ever seen. Ms. Edgeworth, where did the witness go?"

"She... has been arrested and taken away, Your Honor."

The judge continued, "It's about time we announce the verdict. This court finds the defendant, Ms. Iris Fey..."

"Not Guilty."

Confetti rained down all over the room, and Maya pulled Phoenix off of his feet.

She screamed, "Nick!"

They then kissed affectionately right in front of Pearl's eyes.

January 9, 1:45 P.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 3

Phoenix struggled to keep his footing as he steered towards the bench. He sat down, and Maya pulled herself close to him.

"Nick, I'm so glad I'm still here.", she said.

Pearl added, "I guess that you two will be making out tonight! I better get the office all set up!"

Maya shrugged, "Pearls! There's no need to overreact! We're not going to make out!"

She sighed, "Oh well, then. I bet you and Mr. Nick are going to have a good time."

Iris then walked towards them. She said, "Mystic Maya, I guess you chose the right attorney. I did too!"

The group then cheered and fled the courtroom faster than ever.

January 9, 6:23 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

After the short celebration had ended, Maya followed Phoenix back to the office, where he began to type the final report for _State of California vs. Sister Iris of Hazakura Temple_.

His fingers worked at fast pace, and he couldn't seem to see what he exactly was typing. He was still filled with the feelings of desperation. He was just lucky that Maya was still living.

When he was done, he marched in an orderly fashion into the middle of the room, with a box of spaghetti in his left hand and a jar of tomato sauce in the other. Maya turned her head.

Before she could ask why he was holding them in his hands, he screamed, "It's-a me, Mario!"

She burst out laughing.

"Nick," she giggled, "that was quite the imitation. You should do it more often."

Phoenix replied, "I probably should."

He turned the stove on, and began to prepare the pasta and sauce, and continued to imitate Mario. He sung out loud, "When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that's amore! When the eel lunges out, and takes a bite of your snout, that's a moray!"

Maya laughed even harder and smashed her fist down on the table. When she finally recovered from the laughing fit, she struggled to say, "N-Nick, I think you should stop the Mario imitation now."

Phoenix immediately understood and finished the pasta preparation.

He dished out the pasta correctly, and then sat down next to her. Maya almost looked confused.

"Nick," she asked, "What exactly is pasta?"

The attorney groaned, "It's like an Italian version of ramen."

She yelled, "Italian ramen?! That sounds great!" And Maya then began to eat it at a million miles an hour.

After the frenzy was finished, Phoenix sighed loudly. He heard footsteps behind him.

"Oh, great. That means that Pearl is gonna ask us something.", he thought.

He turned his head around and saw that Pearl was indeed heading for him. She cooed, "Mr. Nick, I know where your special someone is!"

Phoenix asked, "Where?"

Pearl replied, "In the back room, like always!"

The lawyer began to sweat as he ventured towards the back door, which was slightly ajar. His hands fumbled with the knob, and he eventually opened it, hoping not to see a mess. Instead, Maya was sitting on the bed reading a magazine.

He asked, "Maya, is there anything noteworthy to discuss?"

She didn't answer, and simply put it on the table next to the bed. He heard the door shut and lock behind him.

Phoenix thought, "What now?"

Maya's eyes locked on to his, almost staring at him.

She said, "Nick, come closer."

He changed his position so that they were less than an inch apart. Maya backed up a bit, and placed her hands on his sport coat.

She said, "Nick, I'm glad I'm still alive. I am very happy that I didn't suffer Mia's fate."

Phoenix sighed, "Yeah, sure." She gripped him harder.

"Nick," she whispered, "I can do anything to help you."

Her hands took it off, catching Phoenix by surprise.

He gaped, "M-Maya! What are you..."

She interrupted, "Don't worry, Nick. I'm just seeing if you like it. I bet you do."

Phoenix sweated harder and admitted, "I-I do like this! Keep doing it, Maya!"

Maya's hands proceeded to make quick work of his vest, causing Phoenix's eyes to spin. She laughed a little and took off his tie, which was followed by his shirt and pants, leaving him in his dark grey boxers, much to his own embarrassment.

Phoenix noted, "Maya, don't think that you aren't in this, too."

His hands migrated down to her sash, which took about 10 seconds to undo. She could feel to cold outside air rush over her as her kimono fell to the floor.

Phoenix asked, "Maya, do you like this?"

She gasped, "N-Nick, I love this."

He got on top of her, hoping that she would be able to withstand his weight.

She tolerated the act with ease, and Phoenix pulled the covers up. His hands wrapped around her.

He stated, "Maya, I love you. You are the most beautiful girl I've ever met."

She gasped, "Nick, you're so kind!"

Phoenix added, "So warm..."

Maya's soft skin was preventing him from changing his position, but he didn't mind. Her fingers ran through his hair. Phoenix found that Maya's face had a patchy, red rash, which was caused by embarrassment, and it covered her nose and cheeks.

He comforted, "Maya, don't be afraid. You're perfect."

She asked, "I... am?"

Phoenix reminded her, "You look just like your mother."

Maya then realized that she truly was perfect in Phoenix's eyes. She pressed her chest up against his.

The attorney noted, "Good night, Ms. Maya Fey."

She replied, "Have a good night, Mr. Phoenix Wright."

Their heads hit the pillow at the same time, and their arms were still locked together, but they didn't notice. Phoenix could feel him being surrounded by a wave of heat from Maya's body, and closed his eyes.


	13. The Great Awakening

January 10, 7:00 A.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Maya opened her eyes first, and found Phoenix was still asleep. She ran her hands through the spikes in his hair. The texture was smooth, but was also somewhat rough. Maya assumed that they were created by some sort of hair gel, as they were too stiff to be made by pulling the strands together when they were wet.

She then crept out of bed and slipped into her robes in secrecy, hoping that Phoenix wouldn't get up and ask why. Maya left the room and turned the sign from CLOSED to OPEN.

Meanwhile, Phoenix was enjoying his slumber when a scream erupted from outside the room.

"PHOEEENIX WRIIIIGHT!" it echoed.

The attorney shrugged his shoulders and went back to sleeping.

The voice screamed again, "PHOEEENIX WRIIIIGHT!"

This time, something in him woke him up. Phoenix scrambled out of bed and into his work clothes. He was out into the main lobby of the office in 30 seconds.

He asked, "What? What?"

Maya gasped, "N-Nick! I can't believe what I just heard!" He asked again, "What was that?"

"It was Sister Bikini! She told me that... it was stolen!"

Phoenix groaned, "Dammit, Maya! Why can't they keep that stupid urn from being stolen by some bastard every other week? Can't we get a break?"

Maya corrected, "Not this time, Nick! It is different. Come along, now."

That instant Pearl showed up and protested, "What about me?"

Maya sighed, "I guess that Pearl should go along, too."

January 10, 8:24 A.M. Hazakura Temple

The snow compacted under Phoenix's feet as he treaded towards the Main Temple's entrance. However, he could barely hear Maya and Pearl's footsteps, which were lighter and had a more graceful noise to them.

As they walked, Phoenix remarked, "What is the strangest name you can think of?"

Pearl yelled energetically, "Ebenezer Scrooge!"

The attorney gasped, "Did Gumshoe tell you the story of _A Christmas Carol_?"

She jumped, "Of course, Mr. Nick!"

Maya shrugged, "The weirdest name I could think of is Obi-Wan Kenobi."

Phoenix laughed hysterically, but then proceeded to hum a strange theme, which Maya and Pearl didn't understand.

"It is a period of civil war," Phoenix recited. "Rebel spaceships, striking from a hidden base, have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire..."

Maya slapped him across the face. "Enough. We could pick up a copy, but I still am unsure if it excels The Steel Samurai. Probably not."

"Speaking of steel, Mystic Maya," Pearl smiled, "I overheard Franzy talking with Edgeyworth about the problem of people burning American flags, whatever those are. And she suggested that we start making flags out of steel, so that when you burn them, you're tempering them; they get harder."

Maya began to laugh, but stifled it and walked inside.

There, Sister Bikini sweated, "Oh, Mystic Maya! They stole the one and only portrait of Ami Fey!"

Phoenix groaned, "Yes, we know. Now, what does it look like?"

She held up a photograph. "This."

The three found that Ami looked very similar to Maya. In fact, it was highly different from all of the "other" depictions of her, because it was taken when she was 22. At that age, she had just established Kurain Village and it had about 123 denizens.

Maya pointed, "Ami looks just like me, except that she has thicker hair, green eyes, and has a few grey hairs, probably from stress."

Phoenix asked, "Have you called the police?"

The reply was, "Yes! They should be walking past you right now!"

He turned, and sure enough, there were 20 of them, with assault rifles in hand, heading out to find the thief. He wondered just who took it in the first place.


	14. Jealousy

January 10, 7:03 A.M. Hazakura Temple, Main Temple

As a sea of seemingly disgruntled policemen passed by, Phoenix spotted one who stood out. He yelled, "Hold it!"

The man swerved towards him and asked, "What is it, pal?"

Pearl exclaimed, "Detective Dick!"

He answered, "Yes, it is me, Pearl! Ha ha ha..." Maya shook her head.

"Why are you acting like a policeman?" she inquired.

Gumshoe answered, "Oh. I'm sorry if that happens. I guess I'm so in love with Maggey that I imitate her."

Phoenix sighed, "Come on, Detective. Do you have any compelling evidence to who the thief might be?"

He noted, "Not really. Who would want a picture of Ami Fey, anyway?"

Pearl snapped, "It's a _portrait_, Detective Dick! Get your words right!"

The detective pointed his head down and gasped, "All right. I guess you're right. But I got a image of it from the department. I mean, Ami is rather beautiful..."

Maya reminded him, "That was taken when she was 22. If she was alive today, she would be 323 years old."

Gumshoe sighed, "I guess. Anyway, I think I might know who did it!"

Phoenix asked, "Let me guess: Larry Butz?"

He replied, "Of course! That's what I was thinking!"

Pearl added, "Poor Larry... they might prosecute him."

Maya corrected, "More like _will_ prosecute."

There was a sudden movement of the policeman sea, and they all marched in an orderly fashion towards the only exit. Two of them held the arms of a man, who was dressed in a sweater.

"Nick, you've gotta help me!" he screamed as the men dragged him down the hall.

Gumshoe figured, "I guess that they did arrest Larry Butz."

Maya sighed, "He does seem like a suspect; however, he paints living subjects, not dead ones."

Phoenix added, "To me, it seems unlikely that Larry would do something like that."

Pearl nudged, "Well, let's go down to the Detention Center and get to the bottom of this!"

January 10, 8:10 A.M. Detention Center

Phoenix took a seat and sighed. He hoped that Larry wasn't up to no good.

Larry said, "Nick, you've seriously gotta help me here!"

Halfway through his sentence, his eyes focused on Maya and Pearl.

He gasped, "Nick, how come it always works out for you? I mean, you have a wife... and kids!"

Maya asked, "Wife? Last time I remembered, I wasn't married to Nick. And that is Pearl, my cousin."

Pearl added, "Mystic Maya... did you marry Mr. Nick?"

She replied, "Nope."

Her head sunk in despair. She sighed, "Oh. But I know you two will some day!"

Phoenix laughed, "We'll see."

Larry continued, "I didn't take that portrait! If I did replicate it, it would be copyright infringement!"

Maya noted, "There was no such thing as copyright back in 1719."

Phoenix continued, "I believe that you are innocent. It's just a matter of who would want to steal it."

Butz smiled, "I actually have a chance in court!"

The attorney realized, "My time here is finished. I must find my way to the District Court to prepare for the trial."

Pearl asked, "Mr. Nick, I've heard that that portrait is worth $100,000."

Maya sweated, "Oh, gosh. What can I do to change the future?"

Butz commented, "Nothing, really. Just keep it under wraps."

The attorney's focus gaged on Maya, his eyes alert.

She asked, "Nick, is there something wrong?"

Phoenix replied, "No. It's just that... I'm worried that we might lose."

Maya replied, "No chance that we'll lose! You're Phoenix Reginald Wright, Ace Attorney! King of all defense attorneys! We'll win without a shadow of a doubt!"

He admitted, "I guess you're right, Maya."


	15. Grunge

January 10, 9:34 A.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 3

Larry slowly treaded with Phoenix, hoping that the police officers wouldn't snatch him and send his back to the Detention Center.

Maya said, "Larry, this is a court of law. It is unlikely that they would send you back. I mean, your trial is today!"

He sweated, "I guess."

They sat down on a bench and Larry took a pencil out of his pocket. His hands shook as they drew out an outline, which soon became a shape, and it took his a few minutes to finish it. He held it up.

The attorney's jaw dropped to the floor, as there was a simple message written on it: **HELP ME, PLEASE!**

Phoenix shrugged, "Larry, don't go crazy. We're already helping you!"

The intercom blared, "Mr. Phoenix Wright, the defense should enter the courtroom at this time."

Maya responded, "Nick, don't overreact. The real culprit will be found out soon enough."

January 10, 10:00 A.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 2

The jury roared loudly, and the judge banged his gavel. He said, "Court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Larry Butz."

Phoenix looked to his right, hoping not to see that the brother/sister/cousin of a familiar prosecutor would be standing there. Luckily, the prosecutor was none other than Miles Edgeworth.

"The prosecution is ready, Your Honor," he sighed.

Phoenix answered, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

The judge continued, "Mr. Edgeworth, you may proceed with your opening statement."

Edgeworth stated, "Larry Butz is undoubtably the thief. I can't believe he would dare to steal a 323-year-old piece of art. To him, that portrait of Ami Fey was like the _Mona Lisa_. The police found that Mr. Butz had recently been fired from his job at KB Security, or as he put it, he got the sack. He was compelled by that and his love for art to steal a priceless treasure!"

The judge accepted the theory. "Mr. Edgeworth, you may call your first witness."

he said. Edgeworth directed, "The prosecution calls Justin Time to the stand. At the time of the incident, he got to the scene just as it happened! He physically saw Mr. Butz grabbing and stealing the portrait!"

The witness got to the stand. He grabbed his guitar and plugged it in. The whole room fell silent as he roughly began to play a melody.

Phoenix recognized the tune immediately and screamed, "_Iron Man_?!"

Before he could get to the first verse, the judge banged his gavel.

"Order in the court!"

he screamed. "Mr. Time, I'm afraid that it's not exactly appropriate to spontaneously break out into playing riffs on an electric guitar in a court of law."

Time sighed, "Oh, well. I guess 15-year-olds can't get a break in court. But I saw the stealing incident in front of my very eyes!"

The judge ordered, "Mr. Time, please tell the court what you saw on the day of the murder."

Justin sighed, "Yesterday morning, I was on a field trip to Hazakura Temple. The teachers decided that it would be appropriate for us to see the Lesser Magatama, so we started walking to it. During our travel, I saw a strange man in a pink sweater in a hallway. He was hurriedly fiddling with some fixture on the wall, and soon enough, took off holding what seemed to be a painting in his hands! When I inspected the scene later on, I noticed that there were only 4 pegs sticking out of the wall where the painting was! That shows that the defendant, Larry Butz, was the thief!"

The judge nodded, "It seems that the witness's testimony is highly sufficient to render a verdict. Mr. Wright, if you can't find a hole in his testimony, I will immediately deliver my verdict. Do you understand?"

Phoenix groaned, "Yes, Your Honor." The Cross-Examination began.

"During our travel, I saw a strange man in a pink sweater in a hallway. He was hurriedly fiddling with some fixture on the wall, and soon enough, took off holding what seemed to be a painting in his hands!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Could you identify what the painting was of?"

Justin shrugged, "Some rather cute lady."

The judge added, "Mr. Time, please add that to your testimony!"

"The painting was of a cute, young lady with black hair and green eyes. That means that it was of Ami Fey, wasn't it?"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Mr. Time, could you please repeat your last statement exactly for me?"

Time repeated, "That means that it was of Ami Fey, wasn't it?"

"Exactly!" the attorney pointed. "How could you have known it was of Ami Fey if you were in a hallway which was _parallel_ to where the theft took place? You couldn't have seen Larry Butz through a wall!"

Justin jumped high into the air. The jury roared in response, and the judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Order in the court!" he bolted. "Mr. Time, could you please give your testimony again?"

Justin stated, "The hallway had glass windows lining the hall. Through one, I saw a really hot, young lady with long, black hair."

Maya poked Phoenix's sleeve and said, "Nick, I think he's referring to Iris."

"Through another, I saw Mr. Larry Butz nabbing that Ami Fey portrait! He just snatched it and ran off!"

The judge sighed, "Mr. Time, I would prefer that you not dot off on the women that you find beautiful in your testimony. But anyways, the defense may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix answered, "Gladly."

Justin delivered, "The hallway had glass windows lining the hall."

He screamed, "Objection!"

"Mr. Time, are you sure that the windows had glass panes?"

Justin replied, "What do you think? Of course, for sure!"

The attorney slammed his hands down on the table. "Last time I remembered, Mr. Time, Hazakura Temple had windows that lacked panes! The windows didn't have any glass!"

Justin screamed, "What?!"

The jury roared even louder, and the judge banged his gavel three times.

"Order! Order! Order!"

"Mr. Time, can you explain?"

He shrugged, "Well, um, why, gee! I don't know why!"

Edgeworth screamed, "Objection!"

"Your Honor, the witness is suffering from hysteria! Let him cool down!"

Phoenix argued, "Mr. Edgeworth, there is a possibility that the witness may be lying!"

Edgeworth replied, "Lying? Why would he have a reason to lie? After all, he read the policies of the courtroom, and it says right here, at Section 25, Reference 3: Witnesses are not permitted to falsify information, for it is perjury. Why would he defy the rules?"

Phoenix groaned, "Dammit! I didn't think of that!"

He took his hands and clasped them together.

He whispered, "If only you could help me, Mia!"

Maya heard his pleas and grasped her magatama tight.

Mia Fey sat up in heaven, looking down at the vast expanse below. Next to her was her mother.

She asked her, "I bet I could find Maya among the 7 billion people down there."

Misty argued, "7 billion?! How could we find her?"

Mia sighed, "Just imagine. You'll find her soon enough."

Suddenly, she felt her magatama vibrate.

She noted, "Mother, I must be off. Maya needs me."

The reply was, "How much? I mean, how big of a deal is it?"

Mia gasped, "Like, a big one. She needs me right now, wherever she is."

Mia stepped off of the eternal clouds, and fell towards Earth at lightning speed.

She screamed, "To infinity, and even further!"

Phoenix closed his eyes.

The judge asked, "Mr. Wright, is something the matter?"

He replied, "Nothing."

His eyes slammed shut again.

All of a sudden heard a woman's voice exclaim, "Don't give up, Phoenix!"

His head turned.

"Mia!" he screamed. Her brown hair shone brightly.

Mia asked, "Wright! What is the trouble?"

He replied, "A rowdy witness!"

The judge banged his gavel. "To allow the witness to relax," he said, "I am ordering a 10 minute recess. Court is now now in recess!"

He banged his gavel.


	16. Excess Noise

January 10, 12:10 P.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 2

Phoenix sighed. He hoped that the witness would get grips on his emotions quickly.

He asked Mia, "Have you seen your collection of rowdy witnesses?"

She replied, "Of course. I remember back when the police were dragging Dahlia Hawthorne out of the courtroom. She screamed, 'Fuck you!' at me as I left the room. But you were gone when that happened."

"Well, that seems plausible," Phoenix decided. "I just didn't know that she was _that_ bad."

The intercom let out a steady monotone sound. The attorney focused. He didn't want Justin Time to get away scot free.

January 10, 12:20 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 2

The jury roared again, and the judge banged his gavel.

"Court will now reconvene for the trial of Mr. Larry Butz," he said. "Mr. Wright, the witness has elected to testify for the final time."

Phoenix answered, "Your Honor, I would appreciate it if you would remind Mr. Time that perjury is illegal."

Edgeworth groaned, "Wright! Are you up to old tricks again?!"

He frowned.

The judge ordered, "Mr. Time, let's hear your testimony once more, please."

Justin began, "Frankly, I have not lied one bit. There were two of my friends there that day. They would testify the same as I did! So here it is, plain and simple: Larry Butz took that painting in his own free will!"

The judge glared his eyes at him. "This testimony better better get us somewhere. Mr. Wright, you may Cross-Examine the witness."

Justin repeated, "Frankly, I have not lied one bit."

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"What do you mean by that?"

He answered, "It means that I have been telling the truth!"

"There were two of my friend there that day."

Phoenix recycled, "Hold it!"

"Who were these two friends of yours?"

He replied, "Leroy Baggins and Allison Wunderland. They are the same age as me."

Justin announced, "They would testify the same as I!"

Before the words could come out of Phoenix's mouth, Mia screamed, "Objection!"

She roared, "Mr. Time! Are you absolutely sure that would be the case?"

He replied, "Of course, it would!"

Her hands slammed down on the table. "Mr. Time," she sadly noted, "in your evaluation by the police, they noted that you are near-sighted. It also shows that you are so near-sighted, in fact, that you need glasses or contact lenses in order to see!"

Justin blared, "Graaaah!"

The judge banged his gavel. "Mr. Time, you are dismissed from the stand."

he said. "The prosecution may call its next witness."

Edgeworth replied, "Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution calls Leroy Baggins to the stand. He might just have a more accurate testimony."

Baggins took the stand and adjusted his glasses. Phoenix looked over to his right, and found that Mia's spirit had left Maya's body.

She said, "At least his name's not Frodo Baggins."

Edgeworth prodded, "Mr. Baggins, I hope that you do not end up with the same fate as Mr. Time."

The judge ordered, "Mr. Baggins, please describe what you saw that day."

He reported, "That day, we were walking to see the Lesser Magatama. As we were walking back, I turned the corner and saw a man ripping a painting from a wall! He then ran away! I notified the teachers, and Mr. Larry Butz was arrested soon after!"

The judge nodded, "Yes, I accept it. The witness clearly knows what he was doing. Mr. Wright, you may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix braced himself. "That day, we were walking to see the Lesser Magatama. As we were walking back, I turned the corner and saw a man ripping a painting from a wall! He then ran away!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Which way did he run away?"

Leroy screamed, "Where do you think, Phoenix Wrong? He ran away from the scene!"

The judge banged his gavel. "Mr. Baggins!" he blared. "Do not defile the defense counsel! But answer the question; what did the thief run?"

He answered, "In the aft direction, Your Honor."

Phoenix continued, "What do you mean by _aft_? I don't believe that someone would resort to running _backwards_!"

Baggins jumped and sweated.

Maya commented, "Nick, you're right."

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Order in the court!" he yelled. "Mr. Baggins, please revise your testimony and try again."

Edgeworth sighed, "Your Honor, do you not realize what you are doing? You are allowing the witness to modify his testimony! He could devise a lie!"

The judge stated, "Mr. Baggins, I know that you are only 14, but please raise your right hand."

He continued, "Do you swear that the testimony that you are about to give is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?"

Baggins answered, "Yes, Your Honor."

The judge ordered, "Mr. Baggins, please deliver your revised testimony to the court."

He said, "You see, I was headed to try to catch the thief. I chased after him, and I screamed, 'Get back here, scoundrel! You aren't getting away!' But he did escape, but luckily, the police heard me, and they immediately arrested Mr. Butz!"

The judge noted, "Yes, it seems that your testimony is correct, Mr. Baggins. Mr. Wright, you may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix's eyes snapped towards the witness. "But he did escape, but luckily, the police heard me, and they immediately arrested Mr. Butz!"

He screamed, "Objection!"

"Mr. Baggins, are you certain that you managed to attract the police by screaming at the thief?"

Baggins replied, "Yes."

Phoenix slammed his hands down on the table. "Mr. Baggins, I saw Larry Butz being dragged out as I arrived on the scene! Thus, you couldn't have attracted any officers! At best, perhaps you could have caused noise pollution!"

He screamed, "Gaaaaaah!"

The judge banged his gavel. "Mr. Baggins, you seem to be unfit for further testimony. You are dismissed from the stand."

He continued, "A five minute recess will now occur to allow the next witness, Allison Wunderland, to arrive. Court is now in recess!"

He banged his gavel.


	17. We The People

January 10, 2:34 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 2

The jury roared once more, and the judge banged his gavel.

"Court will reconvene once more for the trial of Mr. Larry Butz. Mr. Edgeworth, has the witness arrived?"

There was only silence. He replied, "Y-Your Honor..."

The judge answered, "Yes?"

"T-The witness can not exactly be here tonight, Your Honor."

He asked, "And why is that, sir?"

The bailiff added, "You see, the witness has... has..."

The judge ordered, "Has what?"

"Your Honor, the witness has gone missing."

The judge yelled, "Missing?"

"Yes missing," the policeman replied. "She's been gone ever since 10:00 this morning."

The judge banged the gavel again. "Unfortunately," he sighed, "this means I will have to make an executive decision. I have decided to render my verdict immediately. This court finds the defendant, Mr. Larry Butz..."

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!" "Your Honor, please! Don't be so short sided!"

The judge shook his head. "Mr. Wright, I am afraid that even though we don't know for sure wether Mr. Larry Butz was the thief, we can say that he committed the crime because there is no compelling evidence to the contrary. As I was saying, this court finds the defendant, Larry Butz..."

Edgeworth screamed, "Objection!"

He continued, "Your Honor, I am afraid that your thesis is highly invalid. According to American law, all men are guilty until proven innocent, but despite that, it states that compelling evidence must be presented in order to convict them. Thus, it would be against the law to declare him Guilty at this time. After all, the past two witnesses we've seen have been unhelpful and faulty."

The judge agreed, "Yes, you do have a point. As a result of that, I am rendering another executive decision. This trial will be indefinitely suspended until the witness is able to testify. Under absolutely no circumstances shall that rule be overridden except if I declare so. And with that, court is adjourned!"

January 10, 2:40 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 2

Phoenix walked out, almost dazed by the close call with the judge.

Maya asked, "Nick, don't you think that it was a little strange that a witness would go missing like that?"

He replied, "Yeah."

Suddenly, Edgeworth ran into him. Maya gasped, "Mr. Edgeworth! What is the trouble?"

He answered, "Take this, Wright. You'll need it."

Phoenix reached his hands out and took the pamphlet. It read:

It would be of honor if you would attend  
The unity of Miles Edgeworth and Franziska von Karma  
January 10, 7:30 P.M.

He handed it to Maya next, and she screamed, "Mr. Edgeworth! You're getting married?"

He answered, "Yes. It's a shame that you're not, Wright."

Pearl sighed, It'll happen with time. I bet it will be a little bit longer before Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick tie the knot! After all, if Franzy has the courage to, you should too, Mystic Maya!"

Phoenix said, "It's tonight, so I better get ready! I can't wait to see the look on that security lady's face when she sees him getting wed to a von Karma!"

Maya asked, "Well, where is this event taking place?"

Edgeworth answered, "On a boat in the center of Gourd Lake."

Phoenix objected, "But there's ice on the water! Have you lost your mind? This is January!"

He replied, "Mr. Wright, we're not in Alaska. There will be at least one spot without ice."

January 10, 4:30 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix straightened his hair backwards. He wanted to look as good as possible. After all, Miles Edgeworth had been one of his close friends. He also wondered if he would prefer if he showed up in the usual outfit he wore during trials, or if he wore something different.

The attorney ultimately decided that it would be customary for him to keep wearing what he already was, as he felt that Edgeworth would wear one of his 14 prosecutor's uniforms, which were all the same in color and design.

"What a regular he is," Phoenix thought as he walked into the lobby.

The first indication that it wasn't quite time to head over to Gourd Lake was the time. It was two hours until the wedding took place. The next one was that he didn't see Maya or Pearl in the lobby, like they usually were. Phoenix made an immediate transit to Maya's room, where he saw her running her hands through her closet.

She sighed, "I just can't decide what to wear tonight!"

Phoenix added, "Maya, just wear your kimono, like you always do! They won't mind!"

Maya gasped, "Nick! Er, what a nice choice! Now I can finally get ready!"

Phoenix just stood there, unabashed.

Maya angrily asked, "Nick, can't a girl change her clothes in peace?"

Phoenix sweated, "Uh, yeah. It's just that..."

Maya screamed, "Get out of here!"

The lawyer scrambled for the nearest exit, which was a hallway. He ran inside of it, with an angry, somewhat pissed off Maya Fey chasing him all the way.

The aforesaid yelled, "Nick, you better not watch me undress without my permission!"

Phoenix found a single door, and he opened it. He slammed the door behind him, and locked it tight. He was sure, however, that Maya was going to rip the door from its hinges and continue the chase.

He heard her bang against it a few times, and sigh, "Nick, come here."

He opened the door and saw that Maya had become a little downcast.

She whispered, "Nick, I'm sorry. I just got a little jerky, that's all."

Phoenix hugged her and said, "That's all right, Maya. I can see that you got a little aggravated."

He ran his hands through her black hair.

Phoenix comforted, "Maya, I love you."

Maya returned, "Nick, I also love you."

The two kissed affectionately. All of a sudden, a cry rang out from behind them.

"Aww! Look at that! Isn't it just plain cute when Mr. Nick kisses you like that, Mystic Maya?"

She yelled, "Pearls!"

Pearl smiled, "Yes, it is me! Sorry for interrupting your moment together, but we should be on our way!"

Maya replied, "Okay! Let's get down there!"

January 10, 6:00 P.M. Gourd Lake

Miles Edgeworth stood in front of what appeared to be a plastic bathroom scale.

He stepped on it, and it said, "Measuring! Please wait..."

A few seconds later, it said, "Your BMI is 20.12, and your weight is 167 pounds. Good for you! That means that you are at a healthy weight!"

He sighed, "Great. No wonder this is the best selling plastic bathroom scale that I've seen!"

From behind him, he heard his soon-to-be wife calling, "Edgey! Get down here this instant, or I will *CRAACK* the shit out of you!"

The prosecutor jumped into the air and answered, "A-All right!"

He ran out of the bathroom and into the open, where the cold night air finally got him.

He sighed, "This wasn't a good idea, was it?"

Out a ways, he heard Phoenix yell, "Edgeworth! How is it?"

He answered, "Fine. I'm have a good time, Wright."

They got closer to him.

Phoenix was excited, as he was about to watch one of his friends get married right in front of his own eyes. But the problem was that he was a little jealous that Miles was getting married before him.

He felt a little sad that he hadn't asked Maya "the big question" yet. Despite that, he was enthralled with the fact that Edgeworth was being wed to Franziska, as he thought that it was a little silly due to his friend being rather imperfect.

He saw an island in the middle of the lake, and there was a boat coming towards him to get them to it. Phoenix could see the minister on the island, but he was wondering what would happen afterward. Before he could think any more about it, the boat docked, and the captain screamed, "All aboard!"

Phoenix stood next to Edgeworth, looking for the island. Next to Edgeworth stood Franziska, looking the most innocent she had for all of the times he had seen her. Her dress, of course, was pure white, and was the most complex one he had ever seen. Strangely, she was wearing a glove on only her right hand. That reminded him of the prosthetic hand that Luke Skywalker used after his hand was cut off by Darth Vader.

He thought, "She is the symbol of perfection, to Edgeworth, at least."

The boat slowly moved, almost too slowly. To break the silence, Phoenix asked, "Edgeworth, can you believe it? You are about to marry one of the most beautiful women that you've met?"

He answered, "Sure. After all, 7th try is the charm, isn't it?"

Just then, the boat arrived on the island, and all of the occupants made an exit. Phoenix, Maya, and Pearl took a seat in chairs, while Miles and Franziska stood next to each other, facing the minister, almost staring at him. After the beginning preparations had finished, the two walked peacefully down the aisle, almost ignorant to those around them.

The minister started, "We are here today to..."

The words didn't seem to be heard by Phoenix, as he was paying too much attention to what Edgeworth would do when it was his turn to agree to the terms.

After much monologue by the minister, he said, "Mr. Miles Edgeworth, do you take Franziska von Karma as your wife, and strive to keep together during the good times and the bad times, through trials and tribulations, as long as you shall live?"

Edgeworth accepted, "I don't think that 'I do' is good enough. I will!"

Phoenix laughed a little, and the minister regain his vigor.

He continued, "And now, Ms. Franziska von Karma, will you take Miles Edgeworth as your husband though you shall go through many events, and will do so as long as you shall live?"

She answered, "The same as him. I will!"

Edgeworth took the ring and placed it on Franziska's ring finger. Up until then, he didn't know that she was left handed. She also placed the ring on his finger.

The minister sighed, almost in boredom, "Now, if anyone shall object to their union, speak now, or forever hold your peace."

All of the occupant of the island fell silent, and they heard a weak, "Objection!" from across the banks.

Phoenix thought, "For _sure_, that's none other than Wendy Oldbag."

The minister shrugged, as if he didn't even hear it. He yelled, "Congratulations, you two! Mr. Edgeworth, you have my permission to kiss the bride!"

He immediately did so, causing the crowd to cheer raucously. Maya pulled Phoenix close to her, happy that Edgeworth had tied his knot.


	18. Now, It Is Time to Die

January 10, 7:00 P.M. Gourd Lake

Phoenix sat down at the table next to Maya. He was already impressed by the level of expertise the wedding had. He was ready to begin the celebration. Edgeworth passed by all of those sitting down, pouring champagne into glasses. The only two who didn't receive some were Maya and Pearl, which was because they weren't old enough to consume alcohol.

The attorney took his glass and raised it.

He said, "I'd like to propose a toast to my friend, Miles Edgeworth, for having the courage to marry at his age."

Edgeworth rose his glass and yelled, "_Nunc est bibendum_!"

The crowd drank in response, despite most not knowing what the phrase meant.

The resulting feast continued on for hours, and many jokes and stories were shared in that time. As the event came to close, the time came for who would stow the tablecloth and other various items. Edgeworth chose to do it himself, for he wanted to impress his wife.

With the cloths in tow, he slowly treaded back to his car, and opened the trunk. The door opened slowly. Just as he was about to put the cloths away, he looked down into the trunk.

He gasped and yelled, "Wright! Get over here! You've gotta see this!"

Phoenix rushed over, unsure of what his friend was so concerned about.

Phoenix looked inside.

He screamed, "Holy shit!"

He immediately ran back to the wedding party. Maya heard Phoenix's screaming and turned her head towards him.

She asked, "Nick, what's wrong?"

Maya knew that he was afraid. Even though he looked so stunning and handsome to her in his blue attorney's uniform with the golden, shiny badge, she could tell in his eyes that he was afraid. She knew that Phoenix had been through highly traumatic moments in his life, and was very strong. He didn't show his fear unless it was serious.

Phoenix gasped, "There is a body in the back of Edgeworth's car!"

She gasped, "W-WHAAAAT?"

The lawyer replied, "Yep. There is a dead woman in the back of Edgeworth's car."

She raced to the scene, and sure enough, there was a body lying face down in the trunk.

Maya saw that Edgeworth was on the phone with the police. Soon enough, Detective Gumshoe and his buddies showed up. He placed a line labeled "DO NOT CROSS" all around the car.

He ordered, "All right, men! Lift up the body and place it on the ground for examination!"

The body came down with a crashing sound.

Pearl screamed, "Detective Dick! Don't treat bodies like that!"

He sheepishly admitted, "I should treat them with more respect. Sorry about that."

He flipped the body over, and yelled, "The body doesn't have any pants on!"

Phoenix looked extremely pale as he stared down at the body, with the blood-stained panties and the blood trail behind it. Gumshoe then flipped the body over, and that there were deep scratches all over her hands.

Maya gasped as she read the scratches, which read, "Maya". Her name was on it.

Her arms immediately latched around Phoenix. She sobbed, "Oh, Nick, why do killers always have to blame me for the crimes that they committed? That's it. I'm moving to Pennsylvania."

Phoenix yelled, "Maya! Before you move to Pennsylvania, check out the other hand. It says, "I'm coming to get you- R.W."

Maya screamed, "Now I want to move to Japan!"

Edgeworth objected, "I believe that Ms. Fey is in severe danger, Mr. Wright. I would highly recommend taking extra precautions."

Detective Gumshoe yelled, "Pal, if you need guards, I've got 'em!"

Franziska screamed, "Objection!"

She then whipped Gumshoe rather hard. He jumped, "Ow! Why did you do that, pal?"

She replied, "Scruffy! We don't need extra guards! The von Karma line doesn't need to get involved with secrecy!"

Edgeworth corrected, "Your last name isn't 'von Karma' anymore, Franziska."

She sweated, "What?!"

He sighed, "Yes. Your last name is now 'Edgeworth'."

In desperation, Franziska whipped her husband as hard as she could.

Edgeworth screamed, "What was that for?"

She gasped, "For eliminating my level of perfection! Every von Karma is expected to be perfect. You aren't! Then again, I married you, didn't I?"

Pearl smiled, "Of course you did! Don't talk back to your husband, or he'll prosecute you or something!"

Franziska admitted, "I do believe that it was a bad idea to whip him. But anyway, how are we going to protect Maya?"

Phoenix stood up for himself and said, "Maya and I will take shelter in the law office. I'll have Detective Gumshoe put up officers around every single door and hall in the office. Maya should be safe."

Gumshoe shouted, "Yes, sir!"

Phoenix wrapped his arms around Maya was they walked towards the office.

January 10, 8:30 P.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix slowly treaded inside, hoping that the killer wouldn't be waiting for them. Luckily, he saw nobody. With Maya in his arms, he dashed for the bedroom. He locked the door and barricaded it to prevent anyone from getting inside. The last thing he needed was for his girlfriend, his soulmate, to die.

Maya gasped, "Nick..."

Phoenix kissed her and quieted her. "Maya, we need to get into bed. You'll be safer there."

She replied, "Sure."

They brushed their teeth, stretched, and did all of the necessary actions and hopped into the bed. She got next to him in the bed, but Phoenix pulled her close to him.

The lawyer felt a feeling of warmth radiate into his hands. Until then, he didn't realize that she had taken her kimono off.

"In the state," he thought, "she's more vulnerable than ever."

He whispered, "Maya, I'm trying to keep you safe. I've already lost many family members in my life. Don't let yourself become the next one."

She protested, "But Nick, I'm not part of your..."

He interrupted, "You're my girlfriend, Maya. Possibly my future wife. You are practically already part of the Wright family."

Maya replied, "I guess."

Phoenix made a trail of kisses from her collarbone up her neck and to her face. Her hands locked around him.

Maya could tell that Phoenix was trying to show his love and affection for her, and was deathly afraid of him losing her. She could tell by the shallow breaths that he took and the general shakiness of his hands and arms. At that point, he began running his hands down her sides.

Feeling Maya's youthful, rather athletic body was like a living dream to Phoenix. He could spend hours doing it, as her soft skin was extremely soft and Maya enjoyed the feeling of his fingernails occasionally lightly scratch her.

His hands then began to itch Maya's stomach, and she giggled when he stuck his index finger down in her navel. By this time, she was sitting on top of him, and Phoenix thought that it was amazing how good love had made him feel. His hands seemed to fuse to Maya's as they rolled out of bed and around the room, almost in a childish way.

Phoenix's hands ruffled her hair, and she did the same to his. They laughed for a while as they realized how childish their actions had become.

Maya grabbed his arms again and sighed, "I'm lucky that I have you."

The attorney replied, "Same here. I guess that's one of the benefits you get in life when you let chance take the wheel."

He climbed on top of her and kissed her again.

He said, "Good night, Maya."

She answered, "Have a good night as well, Nick."

His arms stayed locked around her as they descended under the covers.


	19. Selection!

January 11, 7:30 A.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Phoenix opened his eyes, and saw that Maya was no longer sleeping next to him.

He gasped, "Maya!"

A female voice said, "Don't worry."

His head titled up from laying down on the pillow.

She asked, "Are you ready for your breakfast?"

The lawyer only stared. He realized that the girl he heard was Maya.

She was not dressed in her kimono, as she usually was. Rather, she had suited up in the outfit she wore for roughly an hour while working at a temporary job at Très Bien earlier that year. He didn't exactly like it, but it still looked sort of cute.

Phoenix sighed, "Sure, Maya."

She placed a plate on his lap and smiled. "Nick," she wondered, "I bet that Detective Gumshoe and his Gummy men are still out there."

He laughed hysterically at that, and began to shovel food into his mouth, but in such a way so that it didn't look like he was hastily eating.

Phoenix then found that Maya's waitress outfit was different than her kimono in another way; it actually revealed the actual size of her breasts, which suited her figure greatly.

He tried to think of what to say, and randomly screamed, "Selection!"

She laughed a little and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

He answered, "You have good genetics."

Maya sighed, "Well, I didn't choose my DNA sequence!"

All of a sudden, there was a knock on the door. Maya ran to answer it, and found two folders attached to the door. She took them off and ran into the bedroom. Phoenix opened the one labeled "AUTOPSY REPORT".

The attorney read, "The victim died as a result of strangulation. Cords were found near the scene. The blood present on the ground was found to contain..."

Maya screamed, "Nick! Don't say it!"

He continued, "This was confirmed by the bodily fluid detection kit."

"The victim was identified as Allison Wunderland, a 15-year-old fanatic of Japanese history. She was allegedly a fan of Phoenix Wright, a famous defense attorney. She also was a fan of the television series _The Magnesium Samurai_. However, the deep scratches on the victim did not match the handwriting of any known serial killer. It was found, however, that the DNA from the killer's skin cells matched DNA which was extracted from members of the Fey clan."

Maya gasped, "Oh, boy. I'm finished."

Suddenly, a familiar tune caught them both by surprise. Phoenix reached for the cell phone on the dresser.

"Hello?" he asked.

"Pleasure, Wright. This is Miles Edgeworth. Could I exchange a few words with Ms. Fey if I could?"

He wondered, "Which one? Maya, or Pearl?"

Edgeworth groaned, "Maya, of course!"

Phoenix handed the phone over.

Maya asked, "Hello?"

Edgeworth continued, "Ms. Maya Fey, it is quite nice to chat with you."

She recognized the voice instantly. "Mr. Edgeworth! Why are you chatting with me at 7:30 in the morning?"

Edgeworth continued, "I'm sorry if this is offensive to you, but I'm telling you this lightly. Maya, you have a really fucked up family."

Maya laughed, "Oh, that is quite the joke!" He continued, "Maya! This is no laughing matter. I got a copy of the autopsy report and found that some member of your family put their paws on the body. They killed her!"

Maya shuddered. "Mr. Edgeworth, is there a possibility that it was a false alarm?"

He sighed, "We ran the test 5 times, and got the same answer. I have no doubts."

She protested, "But Mr. Edgeworth!"

Edgeworth angrily shouted, "If you are doubting the facts, then you are blind to reality!"

He hung up. Maya's head sunk.

Phoenix asked, "Are there any members of your family that you don't already know?"

She answered, "No. I know all of them. I mean, I could have killed her, Morgan could have killed her, and even Pearls could have killed her! I don't know who killed her, Nick?"

The attorney sighed, "Maya, don't write a check that your ass can't cash."

She asked, "What do you mean by that?"

He continued, "Don't try to clear your family's name if you aren't able to."

Maya gasped, "Nick! You haven't even looked at the other paper!"

He asked, "Well, can I look at it?"

Maya handed it over, and Phoenix read, "Attn: Phoenix Wright:  
Given the current circumstances, I have decided our next move. Since Allison Wunderland, the only reliable witness left so far in the trial of Mr. Larry Butz, has perished, I have elected to render a reasonable decision."

Maya added, "Hopefully, his decision wasn't too rash."

"I have elected to continue the trial immediately. In fact, there are witnesses that seem to support that Mr. Butz killed Ms. Wunderland. The trial will resume January 11, at 10:00 A.M.

The Honorable Judge."

Phoenix was shocked that the judge had made a choice like that. To charge one of his friends-his pals, his buddies-with murder for the second time. Only Maya had received such treatment before. It made him realize that she was being treated as the scapegoat, and now, Larry was added to the list.

Phoenix itched himself a little and got out of bed.

Just before he went into the shower, he advised Maya, "And by the way, go and get out of that waitress outfit. It's driving me crazy."

She screamed, "C-Crazy?! But Nick, please reconsid..."

He shut the door before she could comment any more.


	20. Turnabout Electricity

January 11, 9:34 A.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 3

Phoenix found Larry immediately and dragged him over to where Maya was standing. He was shaking violently back and forth, biting whatever slivers of his nails that were left on his fingers.

Maya gasped, "Larry! Chill! There's no need to go into a state of hysteria! We're gonna win this case!"

He replied, "I suppose. But seriously! I didn't kill Allison Wunderland!"

Phoenix added, "We know that. It's a mystery, though, who actually killed her."

Larry shouted, "Dude! We need to figure it out, and fast!"

The intercom let out a monotone noise. Phoenix jumped, and dashed into the courtroom.

January 11, 10:00 A.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 5

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel.

"The court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Larry Butz."

Phoenix stated, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

But when it came time for the prosecution to affirm their readiness, there was only silence. The judge looked over at the prosecutor, who was just standing there.

He asked, "Is the prosecution ready?"

The prosecutor replied, "Of course, Yer Honer."

Maya asked, "Who is that creep sitting where Edgeworth should?"

The man continued, "The name is Willy Bill. I am probably the single best prosecutor the state of Texas have ever seen!"

The judge corrected, "Mr. Bill, this is the District Court of California. Why exactly are you here?"

Bill yelled, "This here hedgehog-Phoenix Wright, isn't it? I am here to prevent him from doling out Not Guilty verdicts! Do you know what he does, Yer Honer? He blames innocent witnesses of horrific crimes! I am here today to stop the madness!"

Maya commented, "Innocent?! Frank Sahwit wasn't innocent! Neither was Luke Atmey! Not even Redd White was innocent!"

Bill argued, "Oh, really? Like I'll believe that there nonsense, missy!"

The judge banged his gavel. "That's enough, you two."

Bill declared, "And for the purposes of putting up an even fight with Ol' Hedgehog Head, I have my own co-counsel. Say hello to Otto Mobile!"

The man stood up and smiled, almost mockingly, at Maya. His face met her eyes, and she felt like she was about to explode.

She screamed, "Don't look at me like that!"

Mobile gasped, "O-Okay..." He sat down, and so did Phoenix.

The judge banged his gavel. "The prosecution may call its first witness."

Bill proceeded, "Yes, Yer Honer. The prosecution calls Diego Armando to the stand."

Maya gasped, "How did he get involved in this mess?"

Phoenix guessed, "He probably overheard some officers discussing the case or something."

Bill then said, "Mr. Armando, I have heard that you have had a really rough life."

He answered, "That's true. I am still suffering today. The only thing I'm looking forward to is when the police release me from prison in a few months. They found my innocent of the murder of Misty Fey because I was found to have mental problems. Ticks. Whatever you call 'em."

The judge ordered, "Mr. Armando, you can begin your testimony. Please inform the court of what you saw the day of the murder."

Phoenix thought, "Here we go!"

Armando said, "While I was enjoying my 10th cup of coffee for the day, I overheard some police officers discussing an important find. They were all excited, as that missing Ami Fey portrait had been found! Those officers were all rowdy and screaming and running around like chickens with their heads cut off!"

The judge asked, "Where did they find it, Mr. Armando?"

He answered, "Aw, nothing really. They just happened to find it in Allison Wunderland's house, Your Honor."

Phoenix jumped. Maya gasped, "Allison Wunderland's house?!"

Armando confirmed, "Yes, in her house!"

Phoenix groaned, "Shit!"

Maya cautioned, "Nick! Chill! Cool off, hothead!"

He stammered, "Did...he...just...say...that...they...found...tha t...portrait in Allison...Wunderland's...house?"

She replied, "Yep."

Phoenix banged the desk. "Gaaah! Larry's toast now! What do I do?"

Maya guessed, "Well, I don't know. Maybe you could Cross-Examine the witness?"

The attorney yelled, "Perhaps. Your Honor, may I Cross-Examine the witness?"

The judge answered, "Yes, Mr. Wright."

Armando repeated, "They were all running and screaming like chickens with their heads cut off!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"That is quite descriptive. Are you sure that police officers run around like that?"

He answered, "Well, I was slightly exaggerating. But anyway, they were all happy that their job was made easier."

Phoenix asked, "Did you happen to hear who found the painting?"

He sighed, "Detective Gumshoe."

Maya gasped, "Gumshoe?!"

Armando enforced, "Yes, Gumshoe! He found it in Allison Wunderland's room when conducting his search."

The judge said, "Mr. Armando, add that to your testimony!"

"It was in her mother's possession!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Mr. Armando, are you sure that Allison's Wunderland's mother had that painting?"

He replied, "I heard it myself!"

The attorney slammed his hands down on the table.

"I doubt that, as Allison Wunderland probably wanted to keep it to herself!"

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel. "Order! Order in the court!"

"Mr. Armando, do you assure this court that you are not making daguerreotypes of your testimony?"

He sweated, "No, Your Honor. I am merely stating the facts."

All of a sudden, Willy Bill gasped, "Yer Honer... I can't breathe!"

The judge asked, "You can't? Then how are you living?"

Bill snapped, "I'm still breathing. It's just that... *cough* *cough* *cough* I can't breathe too well..."

Maya caught the look on Otto Mobile's face as he asked, "Mr. Bill, you all right?"

The supposedly famed prosecutor's face turned very pale.

A few seconds later, he violently coughed again, and blood came up instead of mucus. His eyes spun around in his head, and he started to stumble out of the room. He only walked a few feet away from the prosecution's bench, and collapsed.

Maya screamed, "Willy Bill has collapsed!"

The jury roared, and paramedics raced in through the doors. Otto Mobile watched, almost in horror, as they attempted to revive him.

One medic shouted, "No pulse, no respiration!"

In a last ditch attempt to get Willy alive, they took an AED from the wall and charged it up.

"Clear!"

There was a loud thumping noise, but he remained as dead as a doornail.

The paramedics shocked him three more times, but each had the same result.

Finally, one EMT said, "Willy Bill is pronounced legally dead. Time of death is 12:30 P.M."

Otto Mobile's face sunk. He drooped into the bench. The paramedics then shipped his body off to the morgue.

The judge banged his gavel. "It seems that this trial can not continue. One of the prosecution's counsel has died unexpectedly, so we'll order a recess until the autopsy report comes in, in addition to a new prosecutor. Court is now in recess!"

All exited the room, including the judge, but Otto just sat there, half slumped over the bench. Maya came close to him and found that he was sobbing.

She comforted, "Otto, it's okay. We'll find who killed your boss. We promise."

At that sound, he got up and left the courtroom.

Phoenix stood next to Maya. He asked, "What do you think killed him?"

She replied, "I don't know. But anyway, it's time we got out of this room."

Phoenix agreed.


	21. The Acridity of Coffee Past

January 11, 11:35 A.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 2

Detective Gumshoe raced in with the autopsy report.

He screamed, "Mr. Wright! I have the autopsy report! All filed and ready to go!"

Phoenix asked, "Seriously, detective? They found the cause of death already?"

He answered, "Of course, pal! I would file one of these unless it was official!"

Maya opened it and read, "The cause of death was due to the ingestion of a toxic substance."

She glared at Gumshoe, as if no one on planet Earth knew what "toxic substance" killed him.

Phoenix added, "What exactly exactly killed him?"

Gumshoe replied, "He was killed by ingesting the most toxic poison known to man. Its lethal dose is 100 micrograms. It is known as dendrite neurotoxin. It is the same poison that nearly killed Diego Armando. Upon ingestion, it is absorbed into the nasal passages, and goes into the brain, where it attaches to dendrites, which send signals along neurons."

Maya asked, "Are there any symptoms when you ingest it?"

The detective confirmed, "Yes. It takes less that 30 seconds until the affected person falls into a coma. I've heard that those poisoned feel light-headed, have a severe headache, and cough up blood."

Maya got tears in her eyes. "Poor man..." she sighed. "If only we could have saved him... if only we could have saved Diego..."

Phoenix put his hand on her left shoulder. "Maya, even if Diego had lived, Mia would have still died. Of course, I know that Mia and Diego were in love. Lovers... put to rest."

Maya sobbed, "It's too much! A love story, all gone wrong! All tragedy! It's not the love stories I hear about on TV!"

Phoenix picked her up off the ground a little bit.

"It's all right, Maya. I feel the same way."

She scratched his neck a little bit, and Phoenix kissed her, with tears running down her face.

Phoenix hated to see a girl like Maya cry. She looked so desperate when she did. She cried when Mia died and he first met her. She cried when her mother died. The last thing he wanted her to do was cry.

His hands ran through her hair, and he said, "Maya, you still have me."

She smiled a little. "I guess I do."

To her, that was all that was necessary to get her out of her little moment of depression. Maya sighed and got off the ground.

Pearl then rushed in with Gumshoe, carrying evidence.

She yelled, "Mystic Maya! While you and Mr. Nick were in the trial, I managed to aid the police file..."

Maya interrupted, "An autopsy report, right?"

Pearl answered, "I guess. Whatever that is, anyway."

Gumshoe roared from down the hall, "His death was ruled a homicide!"

Phoenix scratched his head. "I wonder if the judge issued subpoenas to these witnesses."

Pearl asked curiously, "What's a su-peen-uh?"

Phoenix replied, "An order made by a court for a witness to testify."

She sighed, "Oh. But in related news, the police also found another priceless item in Allison Wunderland's house!"

Maya gasped, "What is it?"

She screamed, "This!"

Pearl handed her cousin a large, grey, spherical object. Maya's eyes became the size of golf balls.

She boomed, "This is no petrified pizza! You actually found Ami Fey's box of belongings?"

Pearl confirmed, "Of course I did! And I can't wait to see what's in it!"

Phoenix took the box and slowly lifted its top off.

Maya gasped, "Scrolls! All in Japanese, too! I'll read these when I'm really bored."

Her hands moved deeper in to it, and she found several miniature portraits.

Phoenix took one of them out, and there was a line on the bottom, written in broken English.

"Care to 'xplain this?", it read.

It was a rather strange picture, as it showed Ami Fey in the background, oblivious to whoever was taking it!

Maya screamed, "Come on? Can't you just let my Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great-Great Grandma change clothes in peace?"

Pearl laughed hysterically, and fell over, highly amused by the contents.

Phoenix gave it a glare, and snickered, "I bet that picture was taken when she was about 22, because she must've been really stupid to let somebody in there while she was doing that!"

Maya groaned, "Nick! Don't talk bad about her! I mean, you might just be waling down the street with me and Pearly and suddenly, you hear a voice from above. The voice yells, 'Don't make me come down there!' You'll be scared silly!"

Phoenix apologized, "R-Right. Sorry."

Before the three could investigate the mystery of Ami's Box, the intercom blared, "Mr. Phoenix Wright, the trial of Mr. Larry Butz is now resuming. Please take you place in the courtroom at once. And no, we are not providing and escort, in case you were wondering."

The attorney said, "Let's go!"

He ran down the halls, hoping that whoever killed Allison Wunderland and Willy Bill, and stole Ami Fey's stuff was not Larry.


	22. Fight For Your Life

January 11, 12:00 A.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 3

The jury roared, and the judge banged his gavel.

He said, "The court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Larry Butz."

Phoenix said, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

He looked over, and spotted Edgeworth, who was twiddling his thumbs impatiently.

He jumped and added, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

The judge asked, "Mr. Edgeworth, the defendant has been charged with a double murder. Would you like to identify the deceased?"

Edgeworth answered, "The first victim was 15-year-old Allison Wunderland. She was killed by strangulation. The autopsy found that she had been raped several times post-mortem."

Larry gasped, "Dude! How dare you..."

Edgeworth screamed, "Objection!"

"Mr. Butz, you are not allowed to interfere with the due process of law! Now, let's get back to the victims. The second victim was a Texan prosecutor named Willy Bill. He died due to the ingestion of a fatal dose of dendrite neurotoxin. It seems that he was eating a donut, which the toxin has been injected into."

Maya gasped, "I can't believe that Larry would do something like that. There _has_ to be a contradiction."

The judge banged his gavel. "The prosecution may call its first witness," he said.

Edgeworth continued, "Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution calls Scott Smith to the stand."

Maya took a good look at Smith, her eyes glued to him. She felt like she had seen someone like him before. He had reddish-brown hair, and was wearing a black shirt. He was also wearing gloves and looked to her like any ordinary man. But for some reason, Maya felt like he was bent on destruction.

Edgeworth asked, "Mr. Smith, what is your occupation?"

He replied, "Pharmacist."

Phoenix thought, "He doesn't look like a pharmacist to me!"

The judge banged his gavel. "Mr. Smith, you may begin your testimony. Please tell the court what you saw at the scene."

"I was minding my own business, walking around Gourd Lake, like I usually do on nights like this. Suddenly, I heard a woman scream, and I heard the sound of forced suffocation. I heard the man throw the body into the trunk of his car and sped away! Later that evening, he came back and threw the body in the trunk of another person's car!"

The judge was content. "Mr. Smith, that was excellent testimony on your part. Mr. Wright, you may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix whispered, "I bet this guy is lying as well. It'll be a piece of cake to Cross-Examine him."

Smith dictated, "Suddenly, I heard a woman scream, and I heard the sound of forced suffocation. I heard the man throw the body into the trunk of his car and sped away!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Mr. Smith, I'm surprised! I highly doubt that someone one would commit a murder in the open! In fact, there are no pieces of evidence that suggest that!"

Smith jumped and groaned, "Aaugh!"

The jury roared loudly, and the judge banged his gavel.

"Order! Order in the court! Mr. Smith, could you please inform me why you stated speculation instead of reality?"

He shrugged, "Well, sorry, Your Honor. I thought that it would be nice if I gave a little more detail than I saw!"

The judge shook his head. "Mr. Smith, that is unacceptable. I would also prefer if you re-delivered your testimony!"

Smith answered, "Very well."

Maya wondered, "This guy better start telling the truth."

Smith sweated, "You see, in the evening, I saw the car in which the body of Allison Wunderland was found. It was a black car, with four doors and five seats. The trunk had a strange sort of odor, like the body was decomposing."

The judge resumed, "Ah. I believe that testimony was flawless. I'll be surprised if it's not. Mr. Wright, Cross-Examine the witness, if you would, please."

Phoenix braced himself for the incoming crash course in pressing.

"You see, in the evening, I saw the car in which the body of Allison Wunderland was found."

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"You saw the _exact_ car?"

He replied, "It was."

"It was a black car, with four doors and five seats."

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Mr. Smith, you believe that you saw a black car?"

"Yes. It was."

The attorney slammed his hands down on the table.

"Mr. Smith, the car of the man who discovered the body was none other than Miles Edgeworth! His car is magenta! It matches the very suit he wears!"

Smith imitated chewing his nails, despite the fact that he couldn't, as he was wearing gloves.

The judge banged his gavel. "Order! Mr. Smith, you are becoming an unreliable witness. I highly recommend that you immediately rectify your tendency to lie in your testimony."

Smith replied, "Yes, Your Honor. And if I would, could I deliver my final testimony?"

The judge answered, "Yes."

"The truth is this, Mr. Defense Attorney: I saw you and Mr. Edgeworth go out and see the body. Later, I noticed this cute girl in a kimono come out and examine the body with you. That's it! You and the police tampered with the evidence at hand! You're convicting me, an innocent witness, because you want your friend to be found innocent of such a heinous crime!"

The jury roared in disbelief. Despite his testimony being hard to believe, some took it as fact. The judge seemed to be blown away, as he was stunned.

He stuttered, "Mr. Wright, Cross-Examine the witness!"

Phoenix heard him repeat, "That's it! You and the police tampered with the evidence at hand! You're convicting me, an innocent witness, because you want your friend to be found innocent of such a heinous crime!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

He slammed his hands down on the table.

"You're lying, dammit! And I can prove it!"

Smith teased, "Really?"

Phoenix yelled, "Yes, really! Mr. Smith, you talked about my assistant! Do you know who she is?"

He replied, "Of course I know her! Her name is Maya Fey!"

The lawyer roared, "And that proves it! You're not really who you say you are, Mr. Smith!"

The jury cried out in amazement, and the judge banged his gavel to regain order.

"Mr. Wright, what exactly has the witness done?"

Phoenix answered, "Your Honor, this witness is, without a doubt, the one who stole that Ami Fey portrait, and killed Willy Bill and Allison Wunderland!"

"I can prove this by one fact: this witness merely knows too much! If he was truly an innocent bystander, he wouldn't have known who Mr. Edgeworth or Maya were! He didn't know Larry Butz, because he didn't know him! Thus, I call this witness at fault!"

The judge screamed, "Mr. Smith, explain yourself! Did you commit these terrible crimes?"

"Your Honor, I must admit the facts. There is no sense hiding them any longer. It is all becoming quite clear. I see no reason to resist. I... killed both of them, Your Honor. I am happy to receive my sentence."

The judge felt his eyelids want to close, but he banged his gavel instead. He said, "Well, then! This court finds the defendant, Larry Butz... Not Guilty!"

Larry sprung up off his seat and hugged Phoenix. The attorney understood this, as Larry was one of his good buddies.

The judge continued, "And with that, court is..."

A voice screamed, "Objection!"

The whole court froze in shock.

Edgeworth sighed, "Who screamed that?"

Smith answered, "I did. But today, I also have to make another confession."

A black cape flowed out from under his shirt.

"My name is not Scott Smith at all! What a silly name that is!"

The judge prodded, "Come on! Er, what is your name then, sir?"

The man let out a hasty chuckle. "If it may please the court, ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I will now reveal my true name. I am... Matt Engarde."

Maya screamed, "Engarde?!"

Edgeworth groaned, "Bother!"

The jury screamed in horror, and the judge desperately tried to bring the court back to order.

"Order! Order in the court! I must have order! ORRRDERRR!"

Suddenly, Phoenix saw a dark, shadowy object appear in Engarde's left hand.

"I have come here to avenge those who killed my chance at life!"

Edgeworth gasped as he realized that the brute had brandished a knife. He lifted it skyward, and aimed it for the judge's head.

"_Sic semper tyrannis_!", he screamed.

He thrusted the knife towards him, but he ducked and ran out of the room.  
He soon dashed over to where the knife was lodged in the wall, and ripped it out. He then lunged towards the jury, but they ran in a massive stampede of feet, with dust kicked up in to a huge cloud. Phoenix sprinted to the door, and pulled on it with all his might.

It wouldn't budge.

He thought, "They must've locked it to keep Engarde from escaping."

That left him, Edgeworth, and Maya all alone and secluded inside a locked courtroom against a deranged man bent on destruction. Immediately, Engarde lunged into Edgeworth, but he backed up before he could do any serious harm.

But as Engarde leaped away, the prosecutor was overcome by intense pain and fell to the ground. Edgeworth saw blood dripping out of a slash on his abdomen. He took his neck scarf and placed it over the wound the best he could.

The assailant then turned his attention to Phoenix. His eyes were red with fury and anticipation for the moment at hand.

Engarde screamed, "You turned her against me!"

Phoenix argued, "You did that yourself! You shoved away Maya and all of your fans, all for you to eliminate your rival! Face up to it! You have LOST!"

Engarde croaked, "No... No... YOU HAVE LOST!"

His knife thrusted straight at his chest. Luckily, Phoenix got out of the way in time to avoid being hit. With his immediate energy gone, Engarde turned his attention the Maya, the only one he thought would be somewhat loyal to him.

Maya was crawled up in the fetal position on the floor, crying her eyes out. Engarde took his hands and sat her up.

He comforted, "Maya, it's all right. It's all right..."

She gasped, "Don't comfort me!"

She attempted to shove him aside, but it was too weak to get him anywhere.

He took his gloves off, and she became even more afraid. His hands were so deformed that they almost looked like claws. His nails were a dark black and were dagger-like. He wrapped his arms around her.

"I can help you, Maya. Look at me."

Maya simply couldn't loom at the monster that he was.

She cried, "I can't look!"

He turned his head towards her.

Engarde said, "Yes, you can. Now, I'm a much better man than that Phoenix Retardo Wright over there!"

Phoenix corrected, "It's 'Reginald'!"

Engarde argued, "I don't care! Anyway, Maya, I got out of prison. I have lots of defense items. And you and I could have a wonderful life together! So choose me... it's the only way..."

Maya sobbed, "N-No! I can't do it! I love Nick! I can't go with you! You're a felon! You committed a capital offense! I don't have any feelings for you, either!"

Engarde smiled evilly and kissed her, while Maya attempted to fight back as hard as she could.

He laughed, "Bwhahahahaha! All righty, then. If you won't do what I want, I'll make you!"

He drew the bloody knife that he used to slash Edgeworth with.

Maya screamed, "N-N-Nooooooo! Don't stab meeeeeeee!"

Engarde's hands attempted to remove her sash, but his claws were too stiff and could untie it. He instead grabbed her kimono and shoved it down as hard as he could, exposing her collarbones and the tops of her breasts.

Maya screamed, "No! Don't! I won't let you!"

She kicked and screamed and beat her arms around frantically, hoping to escape Engarde's wrath. His talons dug into her soft flesh, creating divots with filled up with blood.

All of a sudden, Phoenix came up from behind and threw him forward a bit, and grabbed the knife in the process.

Out of tactics, he laughed maniacally as he inched towards a helpless Miles Edgeworth, trying to stop the horrific bleeding.

"I have been waiting for your time to perish, Edgey. Bwhahahahaha!"

Edgworth grunted, "But I have changed. I am now a married man, and I've got a wife to take care of!"

He kicked him in the jaw, knocking him the the floor in one swift motion. Engarde moaned, and the door flew open.

Paramedics rushed in, taking the three out.

On a stretcher, Phoenix yelled, "You had a future! You killed it out of jealousy!"

Engarde blurted, "I HATE YOU!"

He was taken away. Phoenix leaned his head left towards Maya, whose face and chest were covered in bleeding scratches caused by Engarde's claws.

He asked, "How are you doing?"

She gasped, "Gaaah... Nick..." and passed out.

A EMT screamed, "We have a patient losing consciousness! Get the life support out here, stat!"

Phoenix closed his eyes, wondering if Maya and Edgeworth would make it out alive.


	23. Humpty Dumpty

January 11, 2:30 P.M. Rochester Hospital Triage

Phoenix woke up to the sound of feet. His head rose, and the triage nurse was directly in front of him. He also realized that he was sitting in one of the waiting room chairs.

He asked, "Why am I here, sitting in triage?"

The nurse replied, "We assessed your injuries and they weren't too serious."

The attorney got up and left briefly. He rushed into town, searching meticulously for food.

January 11, 2:45 P.M. Intensive Care Unit

Maya sat up and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was messy and frayed. There were scratches about an inch deep all over her face, arms, and chest. She also noticed that she had been slipped into a hospital gown, and that her blood-stained training robes had been taken elsewhere.

Maya groaned softly, and reclined back into the gurney. She looked over to the left, and saw Edgeworth being rolled into the operating room.

She whispered, "Poor Edgeworth... I'm sure glad that I didn't receive injuries that bad."

Her head turned right, and she was Phoenix walking in with a brown paper bag in his hand.

Maya screamed, "N-Nick!"

He approached her and placed the bag down in front of her.

Phoenix said, "Maya, here are some burgers, just for you."

She gasped, "Thanks. But what about Pearly? How's she doing?"

He replied, "She should be here in a little bit."

At that same moment, Pearl raced into the hospital doors and made a beeline for triage.

She begged to the nurse, "Where's Mystic Maya? Tell me right now! Where is she?"

The nurse answered, "My name is Monica. I can help you. But who is this 'Mystic Maya' person you're talking about?"

Pearl insisted, "She's my cousin! She was with her boyfriend and Edgeworth when they got in a brawl with an evil man and she got all scraped up!"

Monica sighed, "Mystic Maya is in Section 18B, Room 12."

Pearl yelled, "Thank you!" She sprinted towards the room.

Phoenix, meanwhile, was talking with Maya when Pearl burst in.

She screamed, "Mystic Maya!"

Maya gasped, "Pearls! Wait a minute... why are you here?"

She jumped around and answered, "I heard from the police that you got in a brawl with an evil guy."

Phoenix corrected, "You mean myself, Maya, and Edgeworth got in an altercation with Engarde?"

Pearl tilted her head and asked, "What's an 'all-tri-kay-shun'?"

Maya answered, "An altercation is when you get in a fight with someone."

She replied, "Oh. But what happened to Engarde?"

Phoenix continued, "That _testa di cazzo_ is gonna get executed tomorrow."

Pearl asked, "What's a _testa di cazz_..."

Maya interrupted, "It's best is you don't know, Pearly."

She continued, "But where's Edgeworth?"

Phoenix said, "He's in surgery to get put back together."

Pearl giggled, "I know a poem that's about fixing! It goes like this:

Winston Payne sat on a wall.

Winston Payne had a great fall.

But neither George Washington,

Nor President Clinton

Could prevent him from becoming frostbitten!"

Pearl laughed hysterically, but Maya and Phoenix remained silent.

She asked, "What? Is it not funny?"

Maya noted, "No. It's just that it's not exactly funny to me. Maybe Sister Iris would find it funny."

Phoenix jumped in, "Don't encourage her, Maya."

Pearl protested, "You should! Plus, we should wait here until Edgeworth comes out of surgery!"

Phoenix laughed, "All right. Let's do that. Maybe we'll see how he acts while jacked up on nitrous!"

The three laughed hysterically.


	24. Darkness

January 12, 2:30 A.M. Intensive Care Unit

Franziska Edgeworth kept vigil over her husband, who looked close to death. Just a few days ago, her last name was 'von Karma' and she was excited to what married life felt like. But that was the utopian aspect of it.

In reality, Franziska found it plain awful that her marriage had become imperfect. The last thing she wanted to have happen to her Edgeworth was for him to be severely injured in a fight with a known murderer and terrorist.

His heart monitor beeped every couple seconds, and the respirator soon followed, injecting fresh air into the prosecutor's lungs. After watching that process for over an hour, Franziska looked at the battle wound he had received.

It was a large, inflamed gash, about 26 inches across, which ran diagonally across his chest and abdomen.  
It looked infected, as there was a yellowish appearance to the bandage. However, the antibiotics that were being put into him by IV was helping it to subside.

She whispered, "If only he would just wake up..."

And Miles Edgeworth's body did absolutely nothing, save for the respirator causing his chest to rise and fall.

It was scary for her to see him with so many lines running into his body, and that he was hooked up to so many life-support machines. Franziska wept softly, hoping that it would expel her disgust against Engarde and it would make her appreciate her husband more than ever before.

But his body still laid there, being unresponsive and in a coma-like state of unconsciousness. She then cried harder and louder, hoping that Edgeworth would hear her voice, and would awake from his slumber. Still, nothing happened. By now, Franziska had completely forgotten about all her other problems in life. All she cared about was Miles, the man she had the wit to marry.

Her father had once told her about a similar story. He told Franziska about her great-great-great-great Grandfather Fredrick von Karma, who was a Hessian soldier in the American Revolutionary War. He was severely wounded in battle, and was carried off the field to a hospital, where he recovered and went back to Germany after the war was over.

This seemed to be a variant of that exact tale, in which a domestic terrorist wounded Edgeworth. The only bad part was that his ultimate fate was yet to be decided, as it was unknown. She was now hysterical with fear and was crying and laughing uncontrollably, as it was simply too much to bear.

She moaned, "Oh, Miles... if only that _hündin_ hadn't screwed it all up! But it is too late to stop him now..."

Franziska got into one of the hospital's chairs and sat down, all while crying and moaning.

Suddenly, she found that her whip was on her. She immediately took it in her hands and whipped Edgewroth right across the face.

Franziska waited impatiently for a reaction, but nothing happened. The prosecutor back up from him, and sat back down in the chair. She closed her eyes and imagined that she was with him, alive and well on a beautiful honeymoon. That thought did not linger, however, as she couldn't shake it off.

She gasped, "If only you were conscious and well, Miles..."

Franziska groaned, and she passed out in the chair, drifting in and out of consciousness every few minutes to see if her husband would awake.


	25. Surprises

January 12, 7:30 A.M. Intensive Care Unit

Phoenix woke up, and found that Maya was leaning on his right shoulder, still asleep. He ruffled her hair, running his hands through it lovingly.

Phoenix whispered, "Waky waky, time to wake up!"

She woke up slowly, raising her head and shaking it a little before coming to her senses.

Maya sighed, "I must have slept quite a bit. I guess that the brawl with Engarde must've tired me out."

Phoenix argued, "Brawl? You just sat there in tears on the floor of the courtroom!"

She gasped, "I-I'm sorry, Nick! I was scared, okay?" Phoenix sweated a little and accepted her response.

A nurse walked by, and handed Maya her discharge papers, and she signed it, and handed it back.

As they were out of earshot of the nurse, she screamed, "Ms. Fey, I can't exactly read your signature! Get back here!"

But it was too late, as Maya was strutting in her own spunky way down the hall.

They passed a bathroom. Phoenix handed Maya her acolyte robes.

He said, "Maya, I'm afraid that your kimono looks better on you than that gown. Just saying."

She protested, "Come on, Nick! I get to choose my outfit, you hear?"

Maya disappeared into the bathroom.

She entered a stall, and found that a mirror was in it, and she took a look. Most of her scratches had healed, and then she took off the gown. She made sure that her appearance would be suitable for Phoenix, such as making sure that her armpit hair wasn't too nasty or making sure her nails hadn't grown over the acceptable limit.

Maya sighed and slowly put her robes on, fixing her hair neater that it was, and exited the stall. Phoenix was tapping his foot, somewhat impatiently, waiting for her to finish when she popped out, and they continued on their way.

They soon passed by a McDonald's, which was conveniently placed directly across from the Catheterization lab.

Maya immediately begged, "Oh, Nick! Burgers! Burgers!"

Phoenix shoved her against the wall and asked, "Who in the hell would eat in a McDonald's right next to the Cath lab? Plus, the last thing I need is for my sweet Maya to have a heart attack."

Maya gasped, "Fine! Let's go, Nicky-poo."

After walking down the hall a little further, they found Edgeworth, who was still in his coma. Franziska was still asleep, and didn't look like she was going to wake up anytime soon.

Phoenix stepped quietly towards Edgeworth, and thought, "Edgeworth! Wake up, already!"

There was absolutely no reaction from him whatsoever, except for the respirator moving fresh air into his lungs.

Maya screamed, "WAKE UP, MR. EDGEWORTH!"

That instant, the prosecutor slowly got up from his slumber, and sat there. A nurse raced in and took out his breathing tube.

Edgeworth sighed, "Franziska..."

She replied, "Edgey!"

He asked, "What?! Did I do something wrong?"

Franziska got out her whip and stretched it out.

"No! Of course not! You just wouldn't wake up when I wanted you to!"

A cracking sound was heard. Phoenix looked away as Edgeworth was slapped multiple times across the face.

Pearl then rushed in. She screamed, "Mr. Edgeworth! Are you really wearing a _purple_ suit?"

Edgeworth gasped, "It's _magenta_, you imbecile!"

Franziska whipped her husband again.

He yelled, "Gaaah!"

She reminded him, "Be perfect, like a von Karma!"

Soon, Edgeworth was out of the hospital and on the streets of Los Angeles once more.

Maya said, "Mr. Edgeworth, I guess Nick, Pearls and I should complicate things anymore. We're off!"

Just as they were about to leave, he screamed, "Wright!"

Phoenix dashed back, and asked, "What now?"

Edgeworth handed him a pamphlet. "You are about to go on the best trip of your life, Mr. Wright."

Phoenix got excited as he scanned the paper.

It read: "Miles and Franziska Edgeworth will be on their honeymoon and will return on February 7."

Phoenix asked, "But what does that have to do with..."

Edgeworth interrupted, "And you're going along! Maya and Pearl are also allowed to attend!"

Maya protested, "But Mr. Edgeworth! I thought that honeymooning is only for newlywed couples!"

Franziska clarified, "You're staying in a separate room, but guess where we are going?"

Pearl guessed, "Germany?"

Edgeworth said, "Good guess, but no. We are going to Hawaii!"

Maya gasped, "H-Hawaii?! I've always wanted to go there!"

Pearl asked, "What's Huh-why-ee?"

Phoenix answered, "Hawaii is the 50th U.S. state. It consists of many tropical islands."

Edgeworth began walking off to being preparations, and roared, "We're leaving tomorrow!"

Maya yelled, "Yes! Tomorrow!"

Pearl guided them back to the law office.

On their walk, Maya gasped, "I have heard there's a lot of Japanese people on Hawaii. Nick, is that true?"

Phoenix replied, "Yep."

Pearl interrupted, "But let's get packing! We don't want to miss out flight!"


	26. Turnabout Vacation

January 13, 4:00 A.M. Wright and Co. Law Offices

Maya felt a hand grab her shoulder. She ripped up out of bed, and saw that Phoenix was dressed and ready to go.

He said, "Maya, it's about time that you got up. The flight leaves at 6:30. We need to be there ahead of time."

She sighed, "Sure thing, Nick. I'll get Pearly going too."

Maya raced down the hall to where Pearl was sleeping and woke her up.

She asked, "Mystic Maya! Why are you waking me up so early? It's...like...4 A.M!"

She replied, "Pearls! We're going to the airport this instant! The Hawaiian Islands will soon be in our sight!"

Pearl screamed, "Yes!"

She got up from her slumber and joined Maya in getting ready. Phoenix sat down on the office couch and turned on the television. It was tuned to CNN, and a rather disinteresting story was airing. He sighed and slumped back into the seat, waiting for Maya to get done.

Inside the bathroom, Maya was trying to tie her kimono correctly, with Pearl jumping in every few seconds to her actions, saying that she wasn't "doing it right".

After nearly a minute of failed tying attempts, Pearl gasped, "Fine! If you won't do it right, I'll do it myself!"

Her hands worked swiftly, and it took a few seconds. Maya looked at herself in the mirror.

Pearl yelled, "Oh! Mr. Nick is gonna be so excited!"

Maya asked, "Why?"

She answered, "You look better than you do on most days!"

Just when it felt like Maya was never going to exit the bathroom, she finally did, and the three were out of the office and on the sidewalk.

Phoenix looked left, and then right.

That was when he remembered, "That's right... I don't have a car!"

Maya and Pearl groaned.

But when it seemed hopeless, out of nowhere, Edgeworth pulled up to the front of the law office in his car. He rolled down the windshield.

"Mr. Wright, I believe that Hawaii is waiting for us. I would appreciate it if you would pack your suitcases in the trunk."

Phoenix did as he was told.

Maya asked, "Mr. Edgeworth, are we supposed to sit in the back?"

He replied, "What? There aren't anymore seats up front? If so, then pile up back there!"

The door opened, and Phoenix climbed in, and Pearl followed. Maya was the last one to get in, and she closed the door.

The trip to the airport was short. It only took about three minutes to get there, as Los Angeles Downtown streets aren't very crowded at 4 A.M.

Edgeworth parked the car and began to haul the luggage out onto the curb for a porter to take to the counter. They then entered the airport, checked their baggage, and headed upstairs to the security checkpoint.

Phoenix got in line with the others and began to take off his shoes.

Pearl asked, "Mr. Nick? Why are you taking off your shoes?"

He replied, "It's just a part of airline security. You have to remove your shoes prior to entering the checkpoint."

Maya groaned, "I have to take my sandals off? Talk about crazy!"

Edgeworth prodded the others through the line, and entered the millimeter wave detection machine. It closed around him, swirled around, and he got out. Maya was next. She struggled to get into the machine.

Before the doors closed, she said, "Nick, this better not kill me!"

The machine did its job, and she exited on the other side. It took only a few more moments before all of them were inside the terminal. Edgeworth looked on his boarding pass, which read:

United Airlines Flight No. 200 to Honolulu  
Gate 4, Concourse B

Edgeworth rallied, "What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

The crew paraded down the halls, with many people either staring at them or just plain ignoring their trek.

The gate which matched the boarding pass was soon found, and they sat down in the chairs. Phoenix checked his pass, which indicated that he was in Seat 3B, and Maya was in seat 3C.

He didn't pay attention to where the others were sitting. He looked up at the clock, which read 5:30.

Maya begged, "Nick, can we get on the plane now?"

Phoenix sighed, "Maya, boarding doesn't begin for another 15 minutes!"

She gasped, "This is taking forever..."

Suddenly, a message came over the intercom.

"Attention, please. It is illegal for transportation companies to solicit rides to passengers around the airport, or to provide rides to the upper levels. Use transportation kiosks and information desks to access areas outside airport grounds."

Franziska leaned back in her chair.

"It appears that there are some taxi drivers like to bust into the airport."

Edgeworth corrected, "Not exactly. They just don't want people using outside transportation to get around the airport."

The speakers over their heads buzzed a little and kicked on.

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Flight 200 with non-stop service to Honolulu will will being boarding shortly. We ask that you collect your belongings and pay attention to the screens overhead to know when it is your time to board. At this time, we ask those who require a little more time to board, such as those who use wheelchairs or have small children may begin pre-boarding."

Pearl screamed, "Mr. Nick! Let's go!"

Phoenix grabbed her sleeve and calmed her down.

"You are 8, Pearl."

About 2 minutes later, the speakers turned on again. "Ladies and gentlemen, we now ask all First Class passengers, Mileage Plus Gold and Silver members, and uniformed military personnel may begin boarding."

Maya jumped into the air in excitement. Edgeworth inched forwards, and scanned all 5 boarding passes. They proceeded into the jetway, and into the plane. The instant Pearl stepped into the cabin, she sniffed the air.

She held her nose and gagged, "M-Mr. Nick, it smells funny in here."

Phoenix sighed, "Airplanes smell like that, Pearl."

Maya tugged on his shirt and pulled him into the aisle seat, and she got the window seat. As soon as all the passengers were boarded, a flight attendant came in the intercom.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome on board Flight 200 with non-stop service to Honolulu. At this time, flight attendants will be picking up cups and glasses. We also ask that you pay attention for the safety video. It shows the safety features of this Boeing 777 aircraft."

Maya grabbed the pillow and blanket out of the seat pocket and giggled. The screens showed the video, with Maya being enthralled by the whole experience, especially when they said, "We'll be taking off soon." The plane was taxiing by then, and made a beeline for the runway.

The plane lined up and the captain came on.

He said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we once again welcome you onboard Flight 200 with service to Honolulu. In Honolulu is 4:00 A.M. local time. The temperature is currently a nice 67 degrees Fahrenheit. It sure is warmer there than here. We are currently preparing for takeoff, so please ensure that your tray table is stowed, your headrest is stowed, your seat is in the fully locked and upright position, and that your seatbelt is fastened tight around your waist."

The engines began to rev up, and the plane lurched forward.

Maya yelled, "N-N-Ni-i-i-c-c-k-k! This is s-s-o b-b-umpy!"

The plane picked up speed and soon lifted off the ground. The nose lifted upwards.

Pearl, who was a few seats to the left, gasped, "We better not go back down!"

But the plane defied gravity and flew out into the vast, Pacific Ocean. Phoenix looked out the window. He could see a tiny speck of land to his right, but there was ocean on the left for as far as the eye could see. He knew that he was in for one heck of a flight.


	27. Big Bird

Hello, Nr36 here! I have decided recently to ask certain fans of this story for ideas, as my brain was running blank. Certain content in this chapter was thought up by the user supersexyghotmew95. I hope that you enjoy this new development!

January 13, 7:00 A.M. Aircraft Cabin

Phoenix found that despite the immense speed of the plane, it didn't look like it was going anywhere, for the Pacific Ocean began to look like a seemingly endless void.

Maya tapped on his shoulder. "Nick, when will we be off the plane?"

He replied, "In about 5 hours."

She complained, "Nick, I'm bored!"

Phoenix suggested, "Well, read Sky Mall or something!"

Pearl yelled, "Sky Mall?! Where? Where?"

Edgeworth could be heard from a few seats away, informing Pearl that there was no such thing as a "Sky Mall", and that is was a shopping magazine.

Maya sighed, "But I need live entertainment, Nick. I don't want to watch a movie... yet. Maybe you could tell me about a story from the Stone Age... er, your childhood!"

Phoenix thought, "That's quite the idea. Maya is very creative."

He said, "Here. I'll tell you a story from fourth grade. I was only 9 years old, and Edgeworth and Larry and I were at recess."

"There was asbestos removal going on, and there were men on the roof. They were going and removing the insulation. We were going by the slides when Edgeworth shouts, 'Hey! Look over there! It's a ladder!'

I commented, 'Uh, that's a stepladder!'

And then he bickers, 'So? You seriously need to stop making terrible judgements based on silly, narrow-minded cultural assumptions!'

I asked Larry, 'Do you know what 'narrow minded cultural assumptions' are?

' He yelled, 'I don't know!'"

Maya was laughing hysterically, and Phoenix could hear Pearl and Edgeworth laughing too.

After the wave of silliness had ended, he questioned, "Maya, do you want $50.00, free of charge?"

She gasped, "Of course, Nick!"

He pointed his finger in a crooked fashion and groaned, "TOO BAD. WALUIGI TIME."

Pearl laughed. Maya became somewhat confused as if to what the joke was exactly intended to do, and was angry at the fact that she wasn't getting $50.

Phoenix asked, "But seriously: How many Samurai metaseries TV shows have there been?"

Maya got very excited at that.

"Well, it all started in 1889 with _The Hydrogen Samurai_."

The attorney corrected, "Television didn't exist in 1889! And how useful is a samurai made out of hydrogen?"

She sweated a little and continued, "Tomorrow,_ The Yttrium Samurai_ airs its first episode! I can't wait!"

Phoenix laughed, "_Yttrium_?! What kind of element is that? At least it isn't Seaborgium."

Maya out the provided headphones over her ears and plugged it into the audio jack on her seat, attempting to pay attention to the movie that was on, but it was so boring that she just couldn't. Maya would have much preferred to stare at Phoenix rather than sit there and watch possibly the worst movie of all time.

She laid her head down on the seat, reclined as best she could, and began to sleep. Phoenix tapped her shoulder, attempting to rouse her. It was no use, though, for Maya was rather tired, despite being the Master of Kurain herself, had a propensity to sleep in until 8:00, much to the discomfort of others.

An hour passed. Phoenix checked his watch. It read: 8:33 A.M. He sighed, and the intercom came on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, this is your first officer speaking. We are currently 1,000 miles off the California coast. The current time in Honolulu is two hours behind us, so please set your watches. The current time there is 6:33 A.M. We will shortly announce our meal options for today. We will also give you information about our speed and other details."

Phoenix, out of options, set his watch, and set Maya's seat recline so that the seat was fully upright. He then kissed her.

Her eyes opened immediately, and she yelled, "Nick! What are you doing?"

He said, "They're serving food in a few minutes! Get ready to decide!"

The intercom blared, "Food will now be served."

The flight attendants walked down the narrow aisle of the plane, which was somewhat ironic, because the Boeing 777 is a wide body plane. Maya looked at her food in detail.

She gasped, "I-Is that RAMEN?!"

Phoenix sighed, "What do you think? Of course it's ramen!"

She screamed, "Oh yeah! RAMEN FOR THE WIN!"

Before she could take in a single bite, she looked over and yelled, "Look, Nick! Real salt and pepper shakers!"

He asked, "Great! Now if you would..."

Phoenix stopped halfway through the sentence, as Maya was, by that time, shoveling her ramen down her throat faster than what seemed humanly possible.

The attendants then passed out agricultural forms, and Maya read. The header read:

State of Hawaii Dept. of Agriculture  
Plants and Animals Declaration Form  
Mandatory Declaration  
For all passengers, officers, and crew members

Maya quickly read the document and signed it, and handed to it back to the attendant. A video then played about the risks of bringing such things into the islands, which shocked Phoenix and Pearl to the grossness of it.

A few long hours later, the first officer came on the loudspeaker again. Maya jolted around in her seat, as she had fallen asleep.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are currently making out preparations for final approach to Honolulu. Please make sure that your seat belt is tightly fastened, you seat is fully upright, that your tray table is stowed, and that your headrest is stowed. We also ask that you also switch off all electronic devices."

Maya looked outside, and saw some land.

She screamed, "Oahu!"

Pearl repeated, "Oh-wa-hoo!"

The plane descended further and further towards the runway, and touched down lightly. All of the occupants were jerked forward, and it took quite a long time to find its way to the gate.

Phoenix gathered the carry-ons and got off, and referenced the boarding pass for the next flight.

Pearl asked, "Mr. Nick, are we staying on Oh-wa-hoo?"

Phoenix answered, "No. We are staying on the island of Kauai. To be exact, we are staying at a resort near Poipu Beach."

The intercom then announced, "Flight 2138 to Lihue is now boarding. Passengers should begin boarding."

Phoenix smiled, wondering how that flight was going to go.


	28. Skyhopping

January 13, 3:23 P.M. Aircraft Cabin

Phoenix put the seat up a little bit, and looked outside. Maya sat to his left, bickering with him why he got the window.

Phoenix said, "Maya! It's a 6 minute flight! It doesn't matter who sits by the window!"

Maya argued, "But Nick, I want the window!"

After a short fuss, Phoenix gave up his seat.

Maya giggled, "I knew that you couldn't resist my methods of brainwashing."

Pearl asked from a seat over, "What's brayn-wawsh-ing?"

Edgeworth groaned, "Don't ask!"

The intercom then turned on.

"Good afternoon, Ladies and gentlemen. We will shortly be departing for Lihue Airport. The current temperature is 76 degrees Fahrenheit. We will reach an altitude of around 26,000 ft, and travel about 545 miles per hour. We hope that you enjoy your flight today."

Maya looked back, and saw that the wing had no engine underneath it.

She asked Phoenix, "Is that normal for these smaller planes?"

He sighed, "Maya, the engines are near the tail. The tail looks like a T, as the stabilizers are put one on top of the other."

They turned onto a runway and the engines revved up, but it wasn't as shaky as the last flight's takeoff.

The plane raced down the runway, and the wheels lifted off the ground. Phoenix saw the island of Oahu disappearing, and saw the Pacific Ocean replacing it.

He put his head against Maya's, and whispered, "Have any members of your family traveled to a place like this?"

She said, "Now that you mention it, after my mother married my father, they went to Okinawa for two weeks or so."

Phoenix yelled, "Okinawa?! Why would they... oh. That's right. Japan..."

The engines seemed to be nonexistent when looking back from the first class cabin.

Out of the distance, land appeared. Pearl cheered as the island of Kauai appeared in front of her, and ocean slowly disappeared from her view. The landing gear came down, and the plane began to come down. The right wing moved down a little, and the plane soon jerked back left, and fell about 200 feet.

The seat belt sign turned on, and the plane began to shake like an old lawn mower.

Maya asked, "N-Nick, is it normal for planes to SHAKE like... this?"

He gasped, "I-I don't know!"

After what felt like an eternity, the plane's wheels made contact with the ground, and the turbulence stopped.  
After the plane came to a stop at the gate, the seat belt sign beeped and all of the passengers on board raced up from their seats and into the airport.

Edgeworth looked guided them to baggage claim. As they entered the terminal, they heard a noise over the intercom.

"The current time is... 3:30 P.M."

As they ventured down the hall, another announcement made its way to their ears.

"Please do not leave your baggage unattended. If you see any suspicious baggage, report it immediately."

After a long trek, they finally reached the baggage claim area.

Yet another announcement blared on the intercom, "Some bags look alike. Check the identification tag to make sure that it is yours."

A red light began blinking above a conveyer belt. The intercom blared, "Passenger baggage from Hawaiian Airlines Flight 2143 may be collected at baggage claim."

A horn sounded, and bags came out on a long conveyer belt. While Franziska, Maya, and Edgeworth unloaded baggage, Phoenix and Pearl read a sign posted near the belt. It read:

Baggage is designed to protect its contents. Over the course of normal handling, your baggage will acquire evidence of wear, such as scratches, nicks, cuts, dents, or soil. Please note that the following are considered to be normal wear and tear and Lihue Airport, nor any airline is responsible for the following:

Broken feet or wheels

Damage to protruding straps/handles

Damage to overweight/oversized bags

Damage to items of a perishable nature

Phoenix laughed, "I'm sure glad that I didn't bring a banana along!"

Edgeworth slapped a suitcase from across the room.

"Wright! We're leaving! Get over here!"

The attorney stopped laughing and grabbed the sleeve of Pearl's kimono.

She asked, "Mr. Nick! Where are we going?"

He tugged her by that sleeve for around 100 feet, and let go.

He said, "Let's go! We need to get a rental car!"

They exited into the open, and Maya's jaw dropped. The temperature was much warmer than anything she had felt before in the winter.

Franziska sighed, "Come on! We don't have time to stop and smell the roses!"

Maya protested, "Franziska, these are _hibiscus_ flowers!"

The prosecutor groaned, "Just get moving!"

With a cart full of luggage and Pearl in tow, Phoenix found a shuttle bus, and loaded the luggage into it. The group piled inside, and looked up at the advertisements above.

Most were bilingual, with Japanese text underneath the English, and others were Japanese entirely. This forced Maya to act as a sort of "translator" in order for the others to know what it said.

After a short journey, the bus stopped, Edgeworth got the rental car, and they raced away, happy to start their Hawaiian adventure.


	29. You're Supposed To Go Slowa in Koloa

January 14, 8:30 A.M. Grand Hyatt Lobby

Pearl looked at all of the birds around her, seemingly overwhelmed by all of the sights around her.

She yelled, "Mr. Nick! Come over here!"

Phoenix reluctantly attended to her and saw that she was pointing at a Salmon-crested Cockatoo. He looked at it like he was staring at a witness.

The bird said, almost like it was confused, "Crack-er?"

Pearl jumped around and screamed, "It talked! Mystic Maya! Birds can talk!"

On the other side of the atrium, which was open to the air, Maya was talking to Edgeworth and Franziska when Pearl's cries were heard.

Maya screamed, "You could say that the hills have eyes!"

After that, they all got in a group "formation" and discussed. Phoenix tried to produce humor by introducing a rather funny thing he did before leaving on the trip.

What I did," he said, "was quite phenomenal. I left a special answering machine message for the office phone, so when someone calls, it says, 'You have reached Wright and Co. Law Offices. While you guys are freezing our asses off back in California, we have retreated to a paradise that the locals call 'Hawaii'. Please do not leave a message after the tone, unless it is to tell us that we've won the lottery. Thank you."

Immediately, Maya started laughing hysterically.

Franziska questioned herself, "When was the last time that California was below 50 degrees in winter?"

That moment, Edgeworth reached into his pocket. He pulled out an orange medicine bottle, which was empty.

He sighed, "Bother. My supply of antibiotics has run out."

Phoenix asked, "What for?"

He replied, "A sinus infection."

Maya pulled out a map from what seemed like nowhere and scanned it. She said, "It says here that the closest pharmacy to our location is in Old Koloa Town."

Pearl asked, "What's Kull-oh-uh?"

Franziska groaned, "Not again!"

Phoenix called the others outside, where he drove the rental car up. It was a Suburban as it was one of the few cars that could easily hold 5 people. Although he didn't own a car himself (strangely), he was able to drive with ease. As he approached the unloading zone, he began to think about his mother.

He remembered her distinctly. She was of Japanese descent, and her maiden name was Yoshiku Ordua. She met Phoenix's father, Reginald, when he was serving in the military. Phoenix received his name because he was born, he shone with a brilliant light, which reminded her of a phoenix rising from the ashes.

He laughed a bit, as the reason that he thought about her was due to the abundance of Japanese people on the island (as if there weren't already a rather large Japanese-American population in Los Angeles). They climbed in, and Phoenix hit the accelerator, and they zoomed away down the road.

Maya looked out the window and down at the road, and said, "Nick, to me, the roads here seem to be made with more asphalt than concrete."

Edgeworth asked, "I'm not surprised, as the salty air probably would erode concrete."

Franziska humorously added, "Maya, I must admit that you do have an ass fault."

She was rather offended by that statement.

Maya protested, "My butt isn't THAT big!"

Edgeworth laughed, "Well, every human has an 'ass fault', also known as 'your butt crack'."

Maya gasped, "Oh."

Phoenix noted, "I guess that when you mention it, 'asphalt' sure does sound like 'ass fault'."

At that moment, Phoenix parked the car in front of the building, and walked in with Edgeworth and Maya to fill his prescription.

A man focused his glasses and said, "If it isn't Phoenix Wright and Miles Edgeworth! How can I help you, sirs?"

Maya tapped her finger on his spectacles and grunted.

He continued, "And Maya Fey, too!"

He laughed hysterically. Edgeworth handed him the pill bottle.

"Sir, I will refill your supply of Azithromicin for $24.00."

Phoenix handed over the money, and the pharmacist ran into the medical supply cabinet. About two minutes later, Maya saw the same man heading towards them, but he didn't look like the same man. He looked short of breath, and was gasping for air.

He coughed, "H-Here's your *hack* *cough* *wheeze* p-prescription, M-Mr. Edgeworth. *hack* *wheeze* *gasp*"

Phoenix asked, "Sir, are you all right?" The pharmacist's eyes turned red and he grabbed him by the collar.

"N-No! *cough* I feel like... *wheeze*"

He then collapsed to the floor, and didn't appear to be breathing. Phoenix ran outside.

He screamed to Franziska, "Call 911!"

The EMT's arrived on the scene almost immediately. They rushed inside and activated the defibrillator, but to no success. The pharmacist was declared dead on the scene.

Soon, CRIME SCENE: DO NOT CROSS tape had been put up all around the whole pharmacy, and many investigators were pouring in.

Pearl gasped, "He died right in front of you?! That's crazy! How does someone do that?"

Edgeworth sighed, "We don't know... yet. But we should soon get an answer. But at least I got my pills."

Maya screamed, "Mr. Edgeworth! You don't care that an innocent man died right in front of your very eyes?! You are insane!"

He interrupted, "I've had to withstand the death of my very parents, Ms. Fey. I've gone through a lot of things more sad than this, when a silly medication distributor passes on right in front of me."

Pearl asked, "Mr. Edgeworth, when will we know how he died?"

Phoenix said, "When they do an autopsy and file the report on CNN."

She got confused and shrugged, "What's an au-top-see?"

Franziska said, "An autopsy is when you examine a dead person to find out how they died."

She jumped around, yelling, "I can't wait to see that!"


	30. I Won't Let Him Die!

January 14, 10:00 A.M. Grand Hyatt, Room No. 3214

Phoenix slumped down into his chair.

He sighed, "If only my life wasn't filled with so much death and destruction..."

Maya said, "Well, maybe if you weren't a lawyer, you wouldn't be exposed to so much of it."

He replied, "I know that, Maya. It's just that I want to be a lawyer."

Maya suggested, "Maybe you could watch some TV. Perhaps that could calm your nerves down, Nick."

The attorney grabbed the remote, and turned the TV on. It opened up to a menu, where it advertised a movie that could be ordered and watched in the room.

Phoenix thought, "I should watch a movie tonight with Maya. Just her and me. It would be nice."

He pressed the MENU button. It said on the screen, "Accessing the latest in entertainment".

After 10 seconds or so, the menu popped up, and Phoenix selected CNN. He figured that they would've aired a story about the dead pharmacist. And sure enough, the new header read: PHARMACIST DIES: ASSASSINATION SUSPECTED.

Maya looked at the TV too, amazed by what she saw. Suddenly, there was a nock at the door. Maya raced to get it, thinking that it was Edgeworth or Franziska, who resided in the room next to them. She grasped the handle tightly, and swung the door open.

Rather, there was a man with brown hair and glasses. He was wearing what looked liked medical scrubs.

He asked, "Does Mr. Phoenix Wright happen to reside here?"

She said, "Yes. He's inside, watching TV."

The man ran inside and came out with the attorney.

Phoenix asked, "Who the hell are you?"

He answered, "I would rather keep my identity secret. But I must say that my initials are D.S."

Maya wondered, "_D.S_. I wonder what that stands for."

The man continued, "I am a very famous surgeon. I have been requested to bring you to the nearest hospital immediately."

"What for?"

The man continued, "To observe an operation on a medical examiner. He was found unresponsive on the floor, along with his assistant and two colleagues. They were found dead at the scene, spare the assistant. The examiner is currently brain dead, but is otherwise completely normal."

Phoenix asked, "Who was he examining?"

The surgeon replied, "That dead pharmacist."

The lawyer grunted, "Shit."

The man yelled, "Now, let's go!"

January 14, 10:17 A.M. Lihue Metropolitan Hospital

The doctor cleared the way as Phoenix and Maya barely made it near the operating room

He prodded, "Here. Look at that window over there. That shows our operation the guy. You won't even need to put on scrubs."

A nurse ran over with a chart. The surgeon read it carefully.

"Hmm... it seems that his blood has a positive charge. I think I know what this is."

Maya asked, "What is it?"

He replied, "He's infected with a man-made virus. It's artificial. I'll need to operate."

He ran into the room.

Maya asked Phoenix, "M-Man made?! Have we even made artificial viruses yet?"

"Maya, we haven't, but certain terrorist organizations have."

She gasped, "T-Terrorist?"

A noise came from the room. Phoenix looked inside, and saw the surgeon and his assistant talking with each other. By the way they were talking, he could tell that they were boyfriend and girlfriend.

The surgeon made his incision, and looked into the microscope. His assistant also looked in. A few moments later, there was a rise in tension as he cut through the tissues into the chest cavity.

Maya heard the assistant scream, "Oh my God!"

The surgeon grunted, "Get the electron gun!"

She got it and gave it to him, but Phoenix could tell that it wasn't working.

She yelled, "It's ineffective! We need to find out how to kill this thing, and fast!"

The doctor thought, "What if I nicked it with the scalpel and we drained the cytoplasm out?"

The assistant cried, "Perfect!"

Maya watched as he slowly drained the life out of the virus, sucking out its guts. After a while, though, it became less effective.

The assistant sighed, "I think that we've gotten all of the cytoplasm out, but that thing is still alive!"

The surgeon said, "Angie! Get the electron gun!"

She gave it to him, and he zapped the belligerent creature with a heavy dose of gamma rays. The virus shrank in size and disappeared from the microscope's view.

The assistant said, "Blood pH is normal. We can suture him up now."

After that was set and done, the surgeon came out from the room.

Phoenix asked, "Sir, have you experienced such a thing in your career before this?"

The surgeon replied, "Although I have dealt with artificial viruses before, I have not seen this one before. Perhaps it's a different strain."

He then walked away.

Maya thought, "His name starts with a D, and I know that his assistant's name is Angie. What name goes good with Angie?"

Phoenix also wondered, "I think I've seen this guy on TV before. His last name starts with St. I just can't piece his whole name together, though, but he sounds a little fishy because he won't tell me his name. But I doubt it; he's probably just trying to keep TMZ off his tail or something."


	31. In Session

January 14, 11:00 A.M. Triage Nurse Desk

Phoenix heard the triage nurse scream, "We've caught the guy! We've captured him! He's in custody!"

There was a roar of cheers. The mass of doctors and nurses then screamed, "U.S.A! U.S.A! U.S.A!"

Maya got up from a nap and gasped, "Who is he?"

The nurse gasped, "His name is Fredrick Holmes! He did it! The FBI's got him!"

Phoenix shrugged his shoulders. "Well, that was an open and shut case," he said.

He tugged on Maya's kimono, and she got up. Just as they were about to leave, a girl ran inside of the hospital.

She collapsed at Phoenix's feet and begged, "You've gotta save him!"

He asked, "Who's him?"

The woman sobbed, "Fredrick Holmes... my boyfriend. You've gotta save him! He's innocent! I know he is! H-Help me!"

Maya asked, "Are you sure that he isn't a terrorist?"

The woman continued, "My name is... Sara Cladswell. You've just gotta save him! Phoenix Wright is my only chance at beating the FBI!"

Phoenix shrugged, "But I'm not licensed to practice law in Hawaii!"

Sara pounded her fist on his shoe. She screamed, "But you've gotta help!"

Sara closed her eyes and fainted on the floor. A puddle of tears formed. Phoenix heard his cell phone ringing, and picked it up.

"Hello?"

The man on the other line bellowed, "Mr. Phoenix Wright? Is this you?"

The attorney said, "Yes. How may I help you?"

The man continued, "I am Raul Sanchez, an agent from the FBI. In the case of _State of Hawaii vs. Fredrick Holmes_, the defendant has chosen that you be his lawyer. I will allow you to defend him, if you choose."

Phoenix asked, "M-Maya, is it all right if I defend that guy?"

She thought, "Why would Nick want to defend a terrorist? Then again, I can't refuse. No way that guy is responsible."

She nodded. Phoenix continued, "Yes. I will. See you in court."

January 14, 11:45 A.M. Detention Center

Phoenix entered with Maya and sat down. A wall of glass separated where the accused and the questioners sat, so that they couldn't hurt each other. The defendant then entered, and took a seat.

He gasped, "Phoenix Wright! You've gotta save me! I stand no chance against the FBI without you!"

He sighed, "Don't worry. I'm on your case. But I have a few questions before we go on trial in 15 minutes. First of all, have you ever had homicidal thoughts?"

Fredrick yelled, "No!"

Maya whispered, "Calm down! Calm down! There's no need to shout!"

The lawyer continued, "Second: have you ever been under suspicion by the FBI?"

Fredrick answered, "No."

Phoenix asked, "Finally, who do you think is actually responsible?"

Fredrick said, "Some guy from these parts. Maybe a native fed up with the federal government."

Phoenix leaned back into his chair. "You've answered all of my questions. Now, let's prepare for the trial."

January 14, 12:00 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 2

Maya gasped, "The courtroom looks awfully similar to the District Court's courtrooms down in Los Angeles. I wonder if they were designed by the same guy?"

Suddenly, the bailiff screamed, "ALL RISE!"

Phoenix got up and stood there like a soldier.

"All please rise in the presence of the Honorable Judge Rita Stanford!"

The judge entered the room and sat down. The court's patrons sat down and began talking about various topics. The jury was especially talkative, as Maya could barely hear herself over them.

Phoenix wondered, "When will the fun stuff begin?"

The judge banged her gavel. "The court is now in session for the trial of Mr. Fredrick Holmes. Defense counsel, are you pleading Not Guilty?"

Phoenix nodded, "Yes, Your Honor."

The prosecutor on the other side of the room said, "The prosecution is ready, Your Honor."

The judge said, "Defense, it is unnecessary for you to state your readiness, for you addressed me earlier. Mr. Arakawa, would you please identify to the court what occurred earlier today?"

He agreed, "Yes, Your Honor. Earlier today, a pharmacist in Old Koloa Town died shortly before administering a prescription to Miles Edgeworth. Later, while the body of the pharmacist was being examined, secondary exposure caused the medical examiner and his assistant to become brain dead, while two other assistants died."

Phoenix looked carefully at him. He was obviously of Japanese descent, but there was no sign of an accent in his voice. He assumed that he was a second generation Japanese-American.

The prosecutor then smirked and continued.

"The culprit was an artificial virus. It seems to have been inside the body of that pharmacist for several days due to the extend of the virus in his system. It also appears that a derivative of that virus infected the medical examiner."

The jury roared, and the judge banged her gavel.

"The prosecution may now call its first witness."

He said, "Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution calls the surgeon that operated on the medical examiner to the stand."

Phoenix thought, "They just can't find his name out can they?"

As the surgeon got up from his seat, a voice screamed, "DEREK!"

The surgeon argued, "Angie! This isn't the time to be screaming my name! This is a court of law! I must testify! There's no way I won't have to."

The bailiff approached him as he took the stand.

He said, "Please raise your right hand. Do you swear that the testimony you are about to give us is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing besides it?"

"Yes."

The judge sighed, "Give your first name, and spell out your last."

The surgeon sweated, "Your Honor, I'd prefer to keep my identity secret for privacy reasons. My initials are D.S."

Phoenix thought, "If his first name is Derek, than what's his last name? Come on! What last name goes good with Derek?"

The judge ordered, "Sir, please give your testimony. Please tell the court what you saw today."

The surgeon testified, "I was in the hospital, doing my own thing, when a medical examiner came in, and he was brain dead! I operated on him, and found an artificial virus swimming around in his body cavity! I removed it after much work, and closed him up!"

The judge was shocked. "That was quite the testimony. Mr. Wright, you may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix grunted. The surgeon started back up, "I was in the hospital, doing my own thing, when a medical examiner came in, and he was brain dead!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Are you sure that he was brain dead?"

The surgeon replied, "Yes. He was normal, besides being in a deep coma."

"I operated on him, and found an artificial virus swimming around in his body cavity! I removed it after much work, and closed him up!"

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"How long did that all take?"

The surgeon answered, "An hour."

The judge banged her gavel. "Mr. Wright. It seems that the witness has nothing wrong with his testimony. Now, witness, I would like you to inform the court what you name is."

The surgeon continued, "Many of you are wondering what my name is, and I will tell you right now. You may have known who I am from television, or maybe even from the newspapers. My name is Daren Smith!"

Phoenix asked, "Your Honor, may I Cross-Examine the witness?"

The judge replied, "Well, that does count as testimony. I guess you can, Mr. Wright." Phoenix jumped. He had finally remembered his name. All he had to do wall inform the court.

"Many of you are wondering what my name is, and I will tell you right now. You may have known who I am from television, or maybe even from the newspapers. My name is Daren Smith!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Sir, you claim that your name is Daren Smith?"

The surgeon answered, "Yes, Mr. Wright."

Phoenix slammed his hands down on the table. "Sir, your name is not Daren Smith! In reality, your name is quite different! You are, in reality, Derek Stiles!"

The surgeon howled, "Graaaaaaaah!"

The jury roared loudly, and the judge banged her gavel three times. "Order! Order in the court! Dr. Stiles, why did you lie about your name in a court of law?"

He replied, "I-I didn't want TMZ to crash in here. I'm one of the most famous surgeons in the world! Plus, if anyone found out that Angie and I were involved in a trial, they would go crazy!"

The judge banged her gavel again. "Dr. Stiles, you are dismissed from the stand. But before you do, inform this court about one thing: what have you accomplished in life?"

Stiles commented, "Well, let's see: I've killed artificial viruses, performed surgery on lots of people, and stuff like that."

The judge continued, "Due to the interest I have about the witness's life, I hereby order a 15 minute recess. Court is now in recess!"


	32. Brazen Bells

January 14, 12:36 P.M. District Court, Defendant Lobby No. 3

Phoenix stood in the hallway, looking out the window. Maya was discussing the case with Pearl, and most people inside were relaxing temporarily. The attorney saw a girl at the end of the hall was approaching him.

When she got close enough to him, he said, "Hello."

She stammered, "H-Hi."

Phoenix noticed that the girl had platinum blonde hair, and looked extremely nervous, almost to the point of being shy.

She continued, "My name is Lily. I am the girlfriend of Ryuichi Arakawa."

That was when he noticed that her irises had a pink shade to them.

Phoenix asked, "Is there something special about him?"

Lily replied, "No, but I am very special. As you may have seen, I am affected by albinism. I've had it ever since birth. I can't even fathom that Ryu actually loves me, a 5 foot 1 inch albino girl."

He asked, "What do you think he likes most about you?"

She answered, "My figure. I may be somewhat short for a 19-year-old, but I have curves. That's what he likes about me; he likes my figure."

Phoenix asked, "But why are you here?"

Lily sighed, "To see Ryu. He is sure busy for being 22."

Phoenix sighed, "I bet that the recess will end before we know it. I'm going to back into the courtroom."

Lily said, "I-It was nice talking to you, Mr. Wright."

Maya added, "Nick! Let's get going!"

January 14, 12:51 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 2

The jury roared, and the judge banged her gavel. "Court will now reconvene for the trial of Mr. Fredrick Holmes. Mr. Arakawa, have you discovered any new leads in the case?"

He stammered, "Y-Your Honor, I-I have not found any new leads."

She said, "Would the prosecution call its next witness?"

Arakawa gasped, "Y-Y-Yes, Your H-Honor... *gasp*"

The jury began to chatter due to his pause.

The judge asked, "Mr. Arawaka... the next witness?"

He wheezed and spun around a few times. That instant, he plopped down to the floor with a massive thud.

The judge screamed, "Mr. Arakawa!"

The jury screamed in horror, and sirens started going off all over the place. EMT's rushed in, and amazingly, he still had a pulse. They ran out with him on stretchers, and the judge banged her gavel.

"Due to events we can not control, today's trial is suspended until a later date. Court is adjourned!"

January 14, 1:01 P.M. District Court Entrance

A helicopter had landed in a nearby field, and the paramedics were rushing equipment and various other goods back and forth.

As Arakawa was rushed towards the helicopter, Phoenix heard Lily scream. She sprinted over towards him.

The paramedic pushing his stretcher said, "Stand back. You don't wanna catch whatever he might have."

She collapsed onto the ground. Lily sobbed, "Where are you taking him?"

There was no reply. Just as they were about to load him into the helicopter, there was a noise heard from across the parking lot.

"WAIT!"

Maya's eyes focused on the man as he ran over to the paramedics. It was none other than Derek Stiles.

"I highly recommend sending him to Caduceus Japan. It is one of the thee hospitals in the world that can treat illnesses caused by artificial viruses."

The pilot argued, "His vitals are dropping! We need stabilization!"

Another man asked, "Why Japan, and not USA?"

"In Japan, they will be able to operate. Also, the temperatures are lower, which will prevent hyperthermia. Ship him to a center, and then transfer him to an air ambulance! It'll take about 3 hours to get there."

They closed the door, and the surgeon ran away as the helicopter turned on its light and sirens.

The blades spun around fast, and the helicopter rocketed away.

Lily sighed, "I hope that Ryu knows at least fundamental Japanese. That way, when he awakes, he can say, "_Konichiwa_."

Phoenix comforted, "He probably knows at least a bit. But I bet that he'll recover."

Little did Phoenix know, however, was that the chronicles of this virus epidemic were just getting started...


	33. Duck and Cover

January 14, 1:23 P.M. Old Koloa Town

Phoenix got onto the sidewalk, and looked in the windows. Now, there was a massive amount of tape inside labeled "CRIME SCENE: DO NOT CROSS". He could barely see anything inside the shop, let alone the area in the back where they stored the medications.

Maya followed up behind him, and also looked inside curiously. There was almost nothing they could find inside that would aid their progress in the case. Maya then heard a voice. It was subtle, almost unnoticeable, but she heard it. It almost sounded like the wind.

It said, "Run..."

Phoenix asked, "Maya, why are you standing there and doing nothing?"

She gasped, "I-I don't know why, Nick!"

Maya tugged on his attorney's outfit and pulled him away from the building. Phoenix protested this, but she tugged him away faster than he could resist.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash. It was so intense that it overpowered the light emitted by the sun. It was so massive that it was seen before the power of it was felt. A sound similar to rolling thunder entered the air as a fireball rose from the building. The ball of fire took the shape of a mushroom cloud.

Phoenix could barely see Maya through the cloud of dust that was kicked up, and before he knew it, a roaring sound was heard, which quickly became louder. Before he could come to his senses, Phoenix was thrown into the air by a pressure blast.

When he came to, he noticed that there was an enormous area which was destroyed completely, which extended about 1,500 feet out from the center of the pharmacy. Fire and smoke was practically everywhere, and Phoenix coughed and gagged on the dust in the air.

He gasped, "M-Maya... Maya... MAYA! WHERE ARE YOU?"

The dust cloud had now blacked out around a mile of sky, and the heat of the firestorm around him was very large. Phoenix knew that he would soon be trapped right in the middle of a flashover. In a last ditch attempt to find Maya, he gathered up all of the force available in himself and screamed.

"MAAAAAAAYAAAAAAAAAA!"

There was no reply. The smoke was so thick that it was black and Phoenix had to crawl along the floor in order to breathe. He was sweating tremendously, not only due to the fire around him, but also due to him being unable to find Maya.

Phoenix coughed and felt around because he couldn't see through the smoke anymore. His hands came across what felt like cloth, and he pulled on it very hard. That was when he heard the sound he had been waiting for.

"Nick!"

Phoenix raced forward and hands and knees. He grasped Maya in his arms and kissed her.

She wondered, "Nick, why were you so afraid? I was only a few feet away from you the entire time."

Behind them, there was an intense surge of heat as fire raced across the ground, engulfing the blast area in flames.

Maya yelled, "Nick, let's get out of here!"

Both of them sprinted away at impossibly high speeds to escape the firestorm, and after what seemed like an eternity, they finally exited the debris cloud.

Maya smiled rather wide, and Phoenix sighed, "Why are you smiling?"

She answered, "Because I am alive, Nick! Obviously!"

Phoenix thought, "Was that an atomic bomb that went off in there? Nah. That can't be. If it was, I would have been vaporized. But what was it?"

In the distance, he could barely see a few fire trucks approaching the scene.


	34. A Shocking Find

January 14, 2:00 P.M. Police Department

The policeman shoved the papers down to the desk.

He said, "The explosion was very severe, and I am surprised that you are still alive, Mr. Wright and Ms. Fey."

Phoenix nodded. Maya asked, "What exactly caused that explosion?"

The policeman continued, "It has been determined that the explosion was caused by a suitcase bomb planted in a washing machine. It was made using uranium, but the bomb was so small that it didn't generate any fallout. The fireball surged from the washer to the dryer by a PVC pipe, and finally into the furnace."

Phoenix sighed, "And then what?"

The policeman resumed, "The fireball blew out the furnace's walls due to the extreme heat and pressure, and the whole building exploded. The immediate blast area stretched for a city block. There were 34 people that were vaporized when the bomb exploded."

Maya asked, "Why are we still alive, then?"

The policeman sweated, "I don't know, but perhaps you were spared because you weren't in the hypocenter. It was very strange that the only people killed were those in the building itself."

Phoenix got up, stretched, and left with Maya.

January 14, 2:24 P.M. Grand Hyatt, Room 3,423

Edgeworth was glued to the television. The newscaster blared out information about the horrific explosion.

The man said, "A short while ago, a powerful explosion ripped through the Dorchester Pharmacy on Morrow Street. The building itself was decimated, as well as the block it was on."

Edgeworth gasped, "I surely hope that Wright and Ms. Fey are OK."

Phoenix opened the door and asked, "Edgeworth?"

He inquired, "Wright, I don't know what you were doing, but you somehow survived that horrific explosion! Way to go!"

Phoenix continued, "But that leaves us with a problem; why did the pharmacy explode?"

Maya added, "And furthermore, who did it?"

Franziska yelled from across the hallway, "It wasn't me, so don't even try to indict me over it!"

Pearl then rushed over and tugged somewhat forcefully on Maya's kimono.

"Mystic Maya, do you love Mr. Nick?"

At that question, Maya froze. She felt like she was going to die right there.

"Pearl, I must say that I do love Nick."

Pearl jumped into the air and started screaming and running around wildly.

"Mystic Maya, do you think you'll marry Mr. Nick?"

She answered, "We'll see."


	35. There Goes a Helicopter

January 15, 10:00 A.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 4

Phoenix asked, "Maya, what is wrong with this picture?"

She wondered, "What, Nick? I don't see a thing wrong with this room."

He yelled, "The jury is silent! Usually, the jury is vociferous! Today, the jury has gone mute! Did somebody misplace the remote?"

The judge smashed the gavel much harder than normal.

She groaned, "The court is... now in session for the trial of... Mr. Fredrick Holmes..."

Phoenix said, "The defense is ready, Your Honor."

He looked over at the new prosecutor. He had an acrylic nameplate on the bench that read: ANTHONY SAVARRO, ATTORNEY AT LAW.

Maya thought, "Anthony Savarro? That sounds Italian or something."

Savarro sighed, "The prosecution is-a ready, Your Honor."

The judge continued, "Mr. Savarro, we have recently been advised about a nuclear explosion that took place at the Dorchester Pharmacy. Could you please inform the court what exactly caused that explosion?"

"Your Honor, the-a weapon in question is very dangerous. Eendeed, it ees. Thee bomb was a small nuclear deevice, which was planted eenside a soot-a-case. Thee explosion was-a so eentense that seismographs detected the blast. Eet meeasured a 4 on the Reecter scale."

The judge said, "Mr. Savarro, you may call the next witness."

He continued, "Yes, Your Honor. The prosecution calls-a Constable Stanley Miller to the stand."

The police officer took the stand, and was sworn in by the bailiff. Savarro resumed, "Constable, what did you ob-a-serve yesterday?"

"Sir, yesterday, I was standing inside the police department when there was an explosion on Morrow Street."

The judge ordered, "Constable, you may give your testimony. Please inform the court what you saw yesterday."

Miller breathed deeply and began to speak.

"The police department is approximately 1.2 miles from Morrow Street. I was in one of the hallways near the west entrance when I saw a flash. It was brighter than anything I have ever seen. A few seconds later, I heard a sound like rolling thunder, which quickly became louder. The department was then struck by a pressure blast, and the hall around me ignited."

The judge asked, "Constable, do you remember anything after that?"

He shook his head, "No. I was knocked unconscious by the explosion, and the next thing I remember, I was in the hospital."

The judge sighed, "Mr. Wright, you may Cross-Examine the witness... if you wish."

Phoenix stared at Constable Miller and waited for him to begin talking. "I was in one of the hallways near the west entrance when I saw a flash. It was brighter than anything I have ever seen."

He yelled, "Hold it!"

"What do you mean by 'brighter than anything I have ever seen'?"

"The flash was so intense that I couldn't look at it!"

"The department was then struck by a pressure blast, and the hall around me ignited."

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Constable, are you certain that the hallway that you were in burst into flames when it was hit by the blast?"

"Yes, Mr. Wright. I believe that it did. The whole hallway was a red-orange color."

Phoenix slammed his hands down on the desk. "Constable, that pressure blast would have simply blown out the windows! It is not hot enough to ignite a hallway instantly!"

Constable Miller jumped into the air, and his grey mustache almost appeared to turn black. The jury then roared loudly. The judge responded by banging her gavel, and showed the jury that she had supreme control.

"Order! Order in the court! Constable, why are you presenting contradictory information?"

He sweated, "Um... I was mistaken! I was mistaken, Your Honor!"

The judge scoffed, "I'm not convinced. I would highly appreciate that you tell us the facts."

January 15, 10:23 A.M. Caduceus U.S.A, Triage

Detective Gumshoe stood in the hallways with a group of nurses and doctors around him.

One said, "Detective, we've currently had 6 deaths because of this virus. 4 males, and 2 females. I wonder what you're trying to do!"

Gumshoe yelled, "I want to transport a sample of this virus to Kauai, Hawaii in order to prove the innocence of a client of a defense attorney."

A general surgeon screamed, "What good is this? How can we transport a infectious specimen across 4,000 miles of ocean without running out of fuel?"

The head nurse inquired, "Detective, you're insane to think that we would believe that such a thing could be possible!"

Gumshoe felt anger rage throughout his body. "Shut the hell up! I need somebody to believe that we at least have a chance of successfully transporting this virus, dammit! It's been grown in a lab, hasn't it? We'll put it on ice and ship it by medical helicopter!"

A flood of questions then hit him full force. Most of them questioned wether a medical helicopter had that sort of range. After it was confirmed that an air ambulance was available that had an acceptable range, the mob dispelled and followed Gumshoe to the helipad.

After placing the specimen's container on board, Gumshoe, a general surgeon, the triage nurse, and a few others climbed on board. The pilot waved back, and the door was shut. The pilot then lifted off the ground and began flying. The hospital soon left their view and the Pacific Ocean was the only thing that could be seen.

January 15, 10:24 A.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 4

Constable Miller gave his second testimony.

"When I awoke, I saw a bunch of nurses standing over me, checking that I was all right and had not been injured by the explosion. I was then cleared for release and I walked out fine. I was lucky to have survived that explosion. Later, I investigated the scene, and found that the blast had covered almost .3 miles!"

The judge said, "Mr. Wright, you may Cross-Examine the witness."

Phoenix felt his mind snap into focus. He was about to go and yell at a uniformed police officer.

"I was lucky to have survived that explosion. Later, I investigated the scene, and found that the blast had covered almost .3 miles!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Constable, are you sure that the explosion covered that much area?"

He replied, "Yes. I measured it myself."

Phoenix slammed his hands down on the desk again, but louder than before.

"Constable, the explosion was a 500 ton nuclear explosive! I doubt it could cover that much land!"

The jury roared again. The judge screamed, "Order! Order in the court! Constable, are you lying under oath?"

Miller sweated, "N-No, Your Honor! I am not lying whatsoever!"

The judge shook her head. "Constable, I must remind you that perjury is a serious criminal offense, especially for a police officer. Please make sure that you are telling the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth."

"Yes, Your Honor."


	36. Bad Jokes and Other Deleted Nonsense

January 15, 1:10 P.M. Pacific Ocean, 30,000 Feet Above Sea Level

The medical helicopter raced through the air, its blades making a tremendous racket. Inside the cramped quarters, Detective Gumshoe sat up against the window, looking out and seeing nothing but ocean water.

He thought, "Great. I wonder if we're flying in circles, as all I've seen for the past 2 hours is the Pacific."

Suddenly, a scratchy message came over the intercom.

It blared, "ATTENTION. THIS IS THE U.S.S SARATOGA. YOU ARE CURRENTLY OVER RESTRICTED AIRSPACE. IF YOU DO NOT RESPOND TO THIS MESSAGE OR IMMEDIATELY MOVE OUT OF OUR AIRSPACE, YOU WILL BE SHOT DOWN IN ACCORDANCE WITH MARITIME REGULATIONS."

The pilot, who was halfway asleep, immediately woke up, and dialed a frequency into the radio.

He said, "U.S.S. Saratoga, do you read?"

The response was, "U.S.S. Saratoga reading. What is your position?"

The pilot sighed, "We are at latitude 26 North, longitude 135 West."

"Roger that. We will mark you down on our charts. Squawk 1220. Have a good day."

January 15, 1:12 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 4

Constable Miller began his third and final testimony to the court.

"All I remember about the explosion was that it happened, and I was knocked out. When I woke up, I shook off the explosion and went back to work at the police department, as usual. However, I do note that we are investigating the explosion."

The judge sighed, "This time, Constable, I hope that your testimony is flawless. Otherwise, severe consequences could result. Mr. Wright, you may begin your Cross-Examination."

"All I remember about the explosion was that it happened, and I was knocked out."

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it!"

"Then what about all of those other details? What about them? Are you changing your story?"

The jury roared loudly, and the judge restored order.

The judge asked, "I also am rather curious. Please inform us on why you only remember 45 percent of the explosion."

Phoenix slammed his hands on the desk and yelled, "He is affected by what is known as _convenient amnesia_! He's forgetting details conveniently to make my case harder to prove!"

The judge screamed, "Constable?! Is this true?"

He replied, "N-No! I am an official in the police force! I am a police officer! Why would I be prompted to do such a thing?"

Phoenix yelled, "Because you have doubt in my case!"

The jury roared again, and the judge said, "Mr. Wright, there is immense doubt that your claim is correct. Unless you show evidence to prove your point, I cannot allow you to indict the witness."

Phoenix thought, "What to do? What evidence is there that can prove my point?"

Maya whispered, "Nick, think! Think about this: what if Constable Miller didn't see the detonation of the bomb?"

Phoenix argued, "What?! How is that possible? He observed it himself!"

Maya continued, "Not necessarily, Nick! What if he observed a different explosion at the same time? I mean, at the same time, but at a similar location to the pharmacy?"

Phoenix gasped, "Oh! I get it now!"

"Your Honor, the witness is confused! He in fact _didn't_ observe the explosion!"

The jury roared loudly, and the judge brought order to the court quickly.

She asked, "Mr. Wright, could you please explain your point?"

Phoenix said, "Yes. In actuality, Constable Miller observed another explosion at the same time! On the same street, but at the same time, too! This security camera footage proves this! Watch it yourself, Constable!"

Miller gasped as he saw the footage show the simultaneous explosions.

He yelled, "Your Honor! May I..."

"Constable, you've had enough time to explain. And yet, we get absolutely nowhere in the trial of Fredrick Holmes. You are dismissed from the stand."

January 15, 2:30 P.M. Pacific Ocean, 30,000 Feet Above Sea Level

Detective Gumshoe finally spotted a small area of land using his binoculars. He screamed, "Land ho!"

He looked behind him, and saw a crumpled Ema Skye emerge from a box. She humorously commented, "Ahoy there, Cap'n!"

Gumshoe rocketed into the air.  
"Wait a minute... how'd you get here?"

She answered, "I got on with you back in Los Angeles! I can't spontaneously warp through time and space! This isn't a demented episode of _Star Trek_!"

The pilot added, "I know the scariest story known to man. Want to hear it?"

Ema sighed, "Sure. Why not?"

The pilot continued, "There once was an ugly barnacle; he was so ugly that everyone died. The End."

Gumshoe groaned, "That wasn't scary at all! At best, it was ironically funny!"

Ema substituted her own joke.

She asked, "What's green and has wheels?"

The pilot guessed, "A garbage can?"

Ema yelled, "Grass! I lied about the wheels!" The whole cabin crew burst into laughter.

A nurse suggested, "Now, if Pinocchio says, 'My nose will now grow' and it does, is it true or false, and why?"

Ema blurted, "True!"

Gumshoe interrupted, "False!"

The nurse said, "Actually, both. If he says it and his nose grows, it is true. But we all know that his nose only grows when he lies, so it is false. But if it is false, it is also true because his nose grows. It is a paradox."

Ema smashed her head against a crate. "Oh, boy. This is not going to end well..."


	37. Belts and Cartridges

January 15, 2:34 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 4

Anthony Savarro sighed, "And-a now, the prosecution calls George Shutick to the stand."

The officer took the stand and was sworn in by the bailiff. He asked, "Mr. Shutick, what is your occupation?"

Shutick replied, "I am an FBI officer. I examined the bomb used in the bombing of the Dorchester Pharmacy."

The judge ordered, "Mr. Shutick, please inform the court of what you noticed about this bomb."

Shutick said, "The bomb itself was vaporized by the explosion, as was the pharmacy. Thus, I developed a replica of the explosive from the FBI's records. It determined that a rifle shot a uranium "bullet" into a "target" of uranium, which was housed at the end of a PVC pipe. The bomb was very inefficient, but it worked."

The whole jury burst out in amazement. The court filled with noise until the judge managed to return order to the court.

She continued, "Mr. Wright, Cross-Examine the witness, if you would."

Shutick repeated, "Thus, I developed a replica of the explosive from the FBI's records."

Phoenix yelled, "Hold it right there!"

"Mr. Shutick, if the bomb was vaporized in the explosion, how did you know if the bomb was of the same design as the one in the records?"

The officer shook his head and replied, "My colleagues said that the design was the same!"

Phoenix screamed, "Objection! I believe that hearsay is not admissible in this court. I demand an answer to the question!"

Savarro interrupted, "Ob-a-jeckshun, Your Honor! Argumentative!"

The judge answered, "Objection sustained. Mr. Wright, the witness does not need to answer the question at hand."

The attorney thought, "Dammit! What now? I had him right there!"

Maya tapped on his shoulder. "Nick! I recommend to present your points in such a way that you aren't arguing with him! He's an expert! Ask him a question that shows that he's unreliable!"

Phoenix sighed, "Okay."

"Mr. Shutick, are you sure that this bomb was made using radioactive material?"

He answered, "Quite possibly show. A rather large amount of debris was found at the explosion site, which appeared to be fallout."

Phoenix slammed his hands on the desk.

"Mr. Shutick, there were tests run on the debris, and the "fallout" you speak of was found not to contain any radiation! How can there be fallout if the bomb wasn't atomic to begin with?"

He sweated and replied, "Well, sometimes atomic bombs are so small that they don't produce any radiation!"

Phoenix sighed, "I do admit that it could be possible, but I would need a little more information in order to prove your statement as true. Could I get a little more information on fallout?"

Shutick said, "Of course. After a nuclear explosion, dust is sucked up into the mushroom cloud. The radiation from the cloud mixes with the dust, and the dust then "falls out" of the mushroom cloud, sometimes as precipitation."

Maya gasped, "I knew it! There was fallout produced by the explosion! We just need to measure the amount present near the hypocenter!"

Phoenix shrugged, "Yeah. But how?"

She slammed her hands down on the desk. "Your Honor!"

The judge asked, "Yes, counsel?"

Maya gasped, "Were there any measurements made of the amount of radiation present at the explosion site?"

Anthony Savarro interrupted, "There were, and the average amount of radiation present was 50 Röntgens."

Maya asked, "What exactly is a Röntgen?"

Phoenix yelled, "If that was so, then nobody could have been fatally poisoned! 50 Röntgens is enough radiation to kill a shrew!"

Shutick sweated, "Now, could I present the gun used in this bomb? After all, look at this. It is fed by an ammunition belt, just like a machine gun. But instead of using a rectangular belt, it uses one shaped like a Möbius strip."

Pearl jumped up and asked, "What's a Moe-bee-us strip?"

Maya screamed, "Pearl! What are you doing here? You're not supposed to be in here!"

Pearl grumbled, "I know! But what is a Moe-bee-us strip?"

Phoenix explained, "A Möbius strip is a special shape with only one side."

A picture of the ammunition belt was displayed on the wall.

Phoenix asked, "Who uses these guns?"

"Various government agencies."

The lawyer thought, "What if we traced the gun to whoever built the bomb?"

He said, "Do you have serial numbers on file for these firearms?"

Shutick answered, "Yes. In fact, one gun was missing on the day of the explosion."

The judge groaned, "Get that serial number and get in here!"

Shutick pulled up some data on his pocket computer, and handed it to the judge.

"Thank you, witness."

The courtroom fell silent. "The gun was registered to the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It belonged to... Anthony Savarro."

The prosecutor leaped into the air and screamed, "_Che cazzo_?!"

Phoenix thought, "Yes! If only we could get this guy on the stand! That would be my chance to bring the hammer of justice down on this freak!"


	38. On The Edge of Death

January 14, 3:23 P.M. Pacific Ocean, 30,000 Feet Above Sea Level

Detective Gumshoe looked out the window, and like usual, found nothing but ocean water below.

He sighed, "Captain, are you sure that we're headed in the right direction? We better not have to ditch!"

He replied, "I assure you that we're headed in the right direction!"

Ema Skye yelled, "THE RIGHT DIRECTION?! That means that we've been going off course, and should be over Kansas!"

Gumshoe explained, "No. What he means is that we are traveling to where we should be going, Ema."

Suddenly, the triage nurse screamed, "Fighter jet, 3 o' clock!"

It began to fly alongside the helicopter. The pilot of the jet came over the radio.

"You are all under arrest for the illegal transportation of biological contaminants overseas. You have the right to right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you do not have an attorney, one will be appointed to you by the state."

Gumshoe remarked, "Yeah! Except all of those state attorneys are shit!"

The cabin crew laughed. The fighter pilot grumbled, "This is no laughing matter. Follow my aircraft to the nearest landing site. There, you will be detained and held for questioning. Do you understand?"

Ema yelled, "But it's for the greater good! We're helping an attorney prove his case! Can you just let us keep flying to our destination?"

The pilot replied. "No."

In response, the helicopter sped up, and left the fighter jet in its dust because its afterburners weren't on.

Gumshoe sighed, "That's just excellent. Now we don't have to deal with..."

Before he could say another word, a massive explosion ripped through the back of the helicopter. Smoke covered the cabin windows, and the helicopter began shaking violently.

Ema screamed, "Black Hawk Down!"

The smoke cleared just enough for all of those inside to see that the tail rotor was crushed and appeared damaged.

The pilot sighed, "Now we're gonna have to pick up out pace! That tail rotor could snap and moment! If it does, we're dead!"

Detective Gumshoe thought, "What could have hit us? I was a fighter jet, after all."

He contemplated for a few moments and then realized, "We were hit by a missile!"

The whole crew on board agreed with him.


	39. The Mad Bomber

January 15, 3:12 P.M. District Court, Courtroom No. 4

Anthony Savarro was appalled to have been called to the stand over a rifle. The court calmed down, and the bailiff swore him in.

Phoenix thought, "This turkey is the culprit! I know it!"

The judge ordered, "Mr. Savarro, you may begin your testimony. I would appreciate it if you would refrain from speculation, hearsay, or berating the opposing counsel."

"I may seem likely that I am behind the explosion, but that is not the case. In fact, there is no evidence that could be used to indict me. All I was doing that day was filing papers for a client. I gave him some information on his legal rights in the U.S. He was a foreign exchange student from Cambodia."

Maya said, "Cambodia? Since when did Cambodians exchange to Hawaii?"

Phoenix added, "He's lying! I've gotta get the truth out of this maniacal Italian!" The Cross-Examination then began.

"I may seem likely that I am behind the explosion, but that is not the case. In fact, there is no evidence that could be used to indict me. All I was doing that day was filing papers for a client."

Phoenix screamed, "Objection!"

"Mr. Savarro, you're committing the worst offense a prosecutor ever could! You're perjuring yourself!"

Savarro yelled, _"Testa di cazzo_! Why would I want to perjure myself in front of the jury, anyways? If you can't prove it, get lost!"

Suddenly, the doors of the courtroom swung open. Detective Gumshoe and his posse rampaged down the hall.

He yelled, "Here's the evidence, Paaaaaaaaal..."

The judge asked, "Who's that?"

Maya yelled, "His name is Dick Gumshoe! He is a detective!"

Gumshoe wheeled a cart towards the witness stand and opened it up. He held a small petri dish to the light.

"This," he said, "is an artificial virus. It has killed a few people, and has injured many more. There were samples found in Mr. Savarro's apartment, as well. I read it when the police conducted their yearly searches."

Savarro exploded in fury. "_Vaffanculo_! I am sick and tired of you pushing me with your endless objections and evidence!"

Phoenix yelled, "And in case you haven't noticed, Mr. Savarro, when the gun fired the uranium bullet into the uranium target, the recoil caused the ammunition belt to be ejected from the gun, and thrown out of the building! There is no way out of this!"

The judge ordered, "Mr. Savarro, please explain to the court why you committed such a crime."

Savarro became red in the face and bellowed, "I have done nothing wrong, Your Honor! You see... I... am... innocent... I did... did... RAAAAAH!"

He threw a punch at the witness stand, which caused it to break into two pieces.

Savarro sighed, "I did it. I am totally at fault. You see, I didi it because Shelly de Killer wanted to get revenge on Mr. Wright, and he told me to do everything. He then escaped to Lebanon in order to avoid being caught by the authorities."

The judge shook her head. "Mr. Savarro, you are disbarred. You are no longer allowed to practice law in the state of Hawaii. If you still want to practice law, pay the required fine of $1.5 million, and take the bar exam once more. And with that, court is adjourned!"


	40. End Game

January 15, 6:12 P.M. Grand Hyatt, Room # 3,423

Edgeworth jumped up from his seat. "Wright, you had a great performance in the courtroom! Franziska and I watched the whole thing unfold from the television! I bet it was even better for the jury!"

Maya sighed, "Yep. All in a day's work." Pearl asked, "What happened to that Savarro guy?"

Phoenix answered, "He got disbarred, and fined big time. He's lucky that he didn't get locked up."

Franziska inquired, "But what about..."

Maya interrupted, "The police are searching for de Killer in Lebanon as we speak. It's a matter of time before they find him, and put him down in Guantanamo!"

Edgeworth corrected, "They may not necessarily put him down in Guantanamo, but they will put him in a very high security prison, which is nowhere close to here."

Franziska put her father's infamous grin on her face and screamed, "Let's get this party started!"

Maya raced to the refrigerator and yanked it open, finding a bottle of sake randomly positioned between one of the drawers and the door.

She placed it on the table, and Phoenix asked, "Maya, you know that you're not allowed to drink that... right?"

She sighed, "I know, I know. 'Don't drink the sake', everyone says."

Pearl asked, "Isn't it a little weird why they would store a drink that is supposed to be consumed warm in a cold place?"

Phoenix said, "Yes. But that is to prevent it from spoiling."

Edgeworth gasped, "Seriously?! Do you think that I would drink such a bitter drink? I could think of 30 different liquids we could consume that would be much better in taste!"

Phoenix argued, "It's only natural to drink sake after a court victory! I've done that for the past 4 years!"

Suddenly, the phone rang, and Phoenix answered it.

"Hello?"

"Ah, it's you, Mr. Trite."

"Mr. Armando! Why are you telephoning me? Don't they only give you one phone call in prison?"

"Not in this case. Anyway, I am appealing my prison sentence."

"What?!"

"Yes. I am attempting to get set free, so I can roam the streets once more."

Phoenix cringed. He thought of why he would dare to do such a thing. The attorney suddenly remembered that Mr. Armando only killed Maya's mother because he was protecting her. He realized that Diego would have to have an exceptional lawyer in order to get out of the prison.

He said, "Sounds good. I hope you get released."

Phoenix hung up and entered the room. Maya and everyone else was going insane.

Maya screamed, "We're partying like it's 1996!"

Edgeworth corrected, "1999, actually."

The partying went on for practically an hour.

After the festivities had died down, Phoenix sat next to Maya on the couch.

She groggily rose her head. "Nick... can we say that the case is closed?"

Phoenix laughed, "Yes, of course."

Maya whispered, "Good night, Nicky boy."

Phoenix grinned, "See you in the morning, _Mayoi_."

The two lovers put their arms around each other, and fell asleep, waiting for their next adventure.

THE END


End file.
